


Lascaux

by Aoidos



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Mpreg, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 12:35:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoidos/pseuds/Aoidos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is a caveman cast out by his family after his first heat. One day, he runs into an alpha named Eames.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur lived with his family on the great plain for sixteen summers until he awoke one day with a fever and wetness between his legs, and then his family sent him away. Confused and frightened, he tried to immediately return to the familiar area comprised of the watering hole and small hut, but his father chased him away, shaking a spear and making loud, threatening sounds.

 

He doesn't understand why he was sent away really, but he knows it has something to do with the fever and the wetness.

 

Arthur is scared his father will track him down and murder him if he stays too close to the hut, so he walks a long time. He walks across the great plain and towards the mountains—through the woods filled with wolves and bears—until he finds a small cave by a chattering river, and there he makes his home.

 

There are plenty of fish in the river for Arthur to hunt and eat, and he fashions foliage and moss into a bed beside the place inside the cave where he builds his nightly fire, which provides warmth and scares away the wolves.

 

After he's finished setting up his home, the loneliness settles in. Arthur is one of four cubs, and he's used to the constant noise of bodies moving around, and the grunts and barks of his brothers and sisters when they play in front of the hut. He misses the way his mother used to run her fingers through his hair at night when he had trouble sleeping, and how his father used to carve bits of wood into little toys for them.

 

Every little movement outside the cave, especially at night, frightens him and causes him to launch for the spear that leans against the rocks. He sleeps in fits and spurts _for months_ , often jostling awake at the slightest provocation. He's miserable, but there is no alternative. This is the reality for one who is no longer a cub. One walks into the wilderness and lives alone until one finds a mate, but Arthur probably won't find anyone because there are no nearby tribes in the woods.

 

He will live alone until he grows old and dies of illness, or a wolf catches him.

 

Arthur spends most of his day crouched on a large, flat rock by the water, watching until he sees the telltale shadow of a fish swimming at the base of the riverbed. Then he chucks his spear with all his might, and if his aim is true, he runs the sharp blade of the rock straight through the fish's spine, killing it instantly. 

 

Arthur always hunted with his father, so he usually hits the mark in the first three throws, but on this particular day, he's having miserable luck. He's thrown ten times and missed every single target. He crouches at the very edge of the rock, glowering at the water, and frowns when he sees another shadow. Arthur throws the spear, and hits the fish right through the head. 

 

He shouts triumphantly and launches into the water. Arthur's so busy splashing around and tugging the dead fish off the spear that he doesn't notice the alpha until he's standing directly in front of Arthur on the bank.

 

Arthur freezes when he sees a set of legs, and then slowly looks upward. There is a bearded man staring back at him, and a rich musk radiates off his skin in thick waves that fills Arthur's nostrils. He is unquestionably an alpha. Arthur waits for him to move—to attack or retreat—but the alpha simply stands there and curiously watches him. His teeth are not bared, and his lips are quirked into a pleasant expression, like Arthur's antics are amusing him.

 

Arthur slowly relaxes, and then is instantly filled with curiosity. This is the first alpha he has ever encountered aside from his father and brothers. He leaves the fish and spear on the flat rock, and then scales the other side of the bank so he can see the alpha more closely.

 

He cautiously approaches, and the alpha's eyes shine amusedly as he watches Arthur examine him. The alpha is big—with broad shoulders and skin darkened by the sun. His hair is long and wild, like his beard, and he has scars across his arms and legs—probably from battles. There is fur around his waist, and when Arthur reaches out to curiously tug at the extra hair, it falls away, leaving the alpha nude. 

 

Startled, and believing he somehow hurt the alpha, Arthur leaps back and makes a sound of distress. But the alpha holds up his hands to stop Arthur from running off, reaches down, and simply picks up the fur, and wraps it around his waist again. This time, when Arthur approaches again, he looks at the fur, but he doesn't touch it. The alpha apparently uses it to cover himself, but Arthur doesn't know why. 

 

Now convinced the alpha doesn't mean to harm him, Arthur steps closer and hesitantly sniffs closer to his flesh so he can get a better whiff of his scent. The whole time, the alpha lets him, and watches passively. He likes his smell—it's woodsy, but also smells visceral, like the earth after it rains. Arthur eases back a bit and looks at his face, which is a nice face with bright eyes and full lips.

 

Once the inspection is complete, the alpha taps his chest and makes a noise: "Eames," he says, and Arthur looks at him inquisitively.

 

They're both quiet, and then the alpha drums his chest again, and makes the same noise. Arthur shifts a bit, nervous, because the alpha is watching him and clearly wants him to do something, but he can't determine what. "Eames," the alpha says after tapping his chest, and then reaches forward to touch Arthur right over his heart.

 

Arthur shrinks back slightly, frowning. The alpha touches his own chest and makes the noise again, and then points at Arthur. 

 

Finally, he comprehends. He was branded with a special combination of sounds his parents strung together for the sole purpose of summoning him specifically when he was playing with his brothers and sisters. Each of them were gifted with unique sounds, but he hasn't heard the noise in so long, or spoken it aloud, that he hesitates until he can fully remember it.

 

"Ar…thur," he whispers, apparently too softly because the alpha leans forward and squints at him. "Arthur," he says louder and a little more confidently this time.

 

The alpha hums in response, the pleasant expression still on his face. "Arthur," he echoes, and Arthur shivers when he hears his name spoken in the alpha's deep voice. 

 

When he steps forward, Arthur nearly darts away, but the alpha grabs his wrist and holds him in place as he buries his nose and mouth into his hair and breathes deeply. Arthur doesn't move because he's afraid the alpha will snap his neck if he does, but also because he doesn't really believe the alpha wants to do that. Nothing about his posture is defensive, and he seems to be enjoying their interaction. The alpha inhales his scent and then leans back so he can look at Arthur's face. "Arthur," he rumbles again, softer this time.

 

 

***

 

Arthur builds a fire, cooks the fish, and shares it with Eames. They sit together in the cave as they eat, and it's pleasant. It's comforting to have someone with him, even if they can't communicate beyond smiles and vague gesticulations. Eames smells good, and is nice to look at, and if a wolf comes, he's big and strong and will scare it off.

 

But he isn't really sure why the alpha is hanging around him so much, and he's still a little scared Eames may try to kill him and take his cave, so he's sure never to turn his back on him, even as he tidies up after they're done eating. He saves the bones and puts them in a small pile in a corner by the entrance of the cave to use later as tools and weapons.

 

When the sun is low in the sky, Arthur paces at the front of the cave and nervously watches Eames. The alpha is still seated by the fire, watching him with alert eyes, and he wonders why the alpha hasn't left yet, or if he intends to leave at all. Arthur makes a deep, frustrated noise in his chest and points outside.

 

Eames' lips quirk at the corners as he watches him, but he doesn't move, and Arthur's face burns in embarrassment. "Go," he grunts, gesturing to the outside again.

 

Eames doesn't move. 

 

Now, Arthur is nervous. He wonders if he was right, and the alpha _does_ want his cave. It's a good, safe spot nearby water and game. It makes sense that a strong alpha would try to seize the land. 

 

Suddenly, Eames moves, grabbing from the fire a stick that still burns at the tip, and Arthur races outside, convinced the alpha is about to attack him. He runs down to the water and picks up a big rock, spins on his heels, and crouches low, panting heavily, waiting for Eames to charge outside. 

 

He waits for a long time, but the attack never comes.

 

Arthur wonders if he should just leave—abandon the cave and find a new spot to live—but then the stubborn streak inside him dismisses the idea. This is _his_ cave, and no alpha is going to push him out of his home. Carrying the rock, he storms back up to the mouth of the cave, and when he slips back inside, Eames is moving the stick against the cave wall. Bits of ash fly everywhere as he works, and Arthur stares at him in confusion for a long time before he sees the alpha is drawing something.

 

When he steps inside the cave, he sees the alpha has drawn three bison-looking creatures, and a man in the middle, standing atop a slain beast. When Eames sees him, he points to the little man, and then himself. Then he puffs up his chest to make himself look bigger and points at the little man again.

 

Arthur feels foolish once he realizes Eames doesn't want to _kill_ him, but he's making an argument for why Arthur should allow him to stay—namely that he's a good hunter, apparently. That's probably where the scars are from.

 

Eames spots the rock in his hands and looks at him curiously, and so Arthur quickly sets it down, and sheepishly shuffles closer to examine the mural. Eames is a good drawer, and he wonders if the alpha will keep the image on display, or if he'll wipe it away now that he's made his point. Arthur secretly hopes he won't ruin it.

 

Arthur raises his brows in a disbelieving fashion when he examines the mural, and Eames grunts, insulted, when he notices Arthur thinks he's exaggerating. He taps the little man again and then his chest. "Eames hunt," he says, and then points at him. "Arthur cook," he adds.

 

Arthur glares at him. " _Arthur_ hunt," he corrects, and Eames blinks before a slow, amused grin breaks out across his face.

 

"Arthur hunt?" he asks, his chest vibrating a little as he chuckles, but Arthur is not amused. He's a very good hunter—not _for an omega_ , but in general. He hunted better than his alpha father and alpha brothers. 

 

He's angry and doesn't want to be around Eames anymore, so he turns to walk away, but the alpha grabs him roughly by the arm and pulls him back. When Arthur tries to hit him, Eames grabs that wrist too and restrains him until Arthur gives up, and glares at him, breathing heavily. Eames makes a soft soothing noise with his mouth, and Arthur relaxes because it's the same noise his mother would make whenever he was hurt or upset. "Arthur hunt," he agrees, and then says, "Arthur and Eames hunt."

 

His brow furrows as he stares at Eames' face, but he nods slowly. "Arthur and Eames," he agrees.

 

 

***

 

Eames isn't very good at hunting.

 

He makes too much noise in the woods, and he can't move quickly because he's too big. Arthur can climb trees rapidly and scout from far above the woodland floor, but Eames breaks the branches, and has to wait for him down below. 

 

Luckily, he does have brute strength to his advantage, so once Arthur spears a young buck through the neck, Eames can drape the dead animal over his shoulders, and carry it back to the cave.

 

It's a good kill—one that will allow them to eat for a week, so they're in a good mood even though Arthur is beginning to think the alpha exaggerated his hunting prowess. At least he has a set of strong hands to help him skin the animal, gut it, and slice up the meat. 

 

Arthur cooks the strips over a fire, and they eat until their bellies are full. He's feeling fat and happy when they clean up afterwards, and he puts together a swathe of soft moss for Eames to sleep on. The alpha grunts in thanks and lays down, and Arthur does the same on the other side of the fire. It's good to have another pair of eyes and ears in the cave, and he feels safer than he has in a long time, which is probably why he drops off to sleep almost immediately.

 

He awakes sometime later when the alpha presses against his back and cups his hand between Arthur's legs. Arthur is confused when he awakes at first, but then he feels the unmistakable sensation of the alpha groping his cock, and he cries out in alarm, thrashing against him until Eames lets go. Then he rolls over and slaps the alpha hard across the face, knocking him backwards.

 

Arthur scrambles to his feet and runs for the spear that he keeps leaning against the cave wall. When it's in his hands, he thrusts it in Eames' direction and makes loud, threatening noises until the alpha climbs to his feet and backs up defensively. Eames raises his hands, palms outward, in a sign of surrender, but Arthur doesn't care. He's not going to let an alpha he barely knows touch him so familiarly. 

 

Eames backs up until he's standing outside and then Arthur gestures aggressively towards the horizon. "Go!" he shouts, not caring if he attracts the attention of the night's hunters. He actually hopes he does and a bear comes and eats Eames.

 

The alpha stares at him with wide eyes and then looks into the pitch-black darkness. Sending Eames into the night is a virtual death sentence, but Arthur is furious. "Go!" he shouts again, and then stalks back inside. 

 

He hopes Eames follows him, just to give him a reason to bury the spear in the alpha's belly.

 

But Eames doesn't walk back inside, and Arthur spends the rest of the night staring at the cave ceiling, the spear splayed out beside him within arm's reach.

 

 

***

 

Arthur is in a terrible mood the next morning, partly from lack of sleep, but also because he's furious at Eames. That's the last time he invites someone into his cave, and he scolds himself for being so stupid as he walks over to the wall and rubs away the alpha's artwork. 

 

He then walks outside and discovers Eames sitting on the river's bank. Arthur freezes in the cave's entrance, and when Eames notices him, he scrambles to his feet and holds out his hands in a gentling fashion—probably assuming Arthur is about to run away or attack him. Arthur glares at him, and then notices a pile of fish laid out on the flat rock. 

 

Slowly, he approaches the alpha's haul, and he gapes in open wonder at the food. It's probably more food than he can eat in a single day, and it's foolish to kill in such a large quantity when most of the meat will spoil in the hot summer sun, but still…it's an impressive display of fishing ability. Maybe Eames isn't such a terrible hunter, after all.

 

But then Arthur remembers he's angry, and he glares at Eames when they're standing face-to-face. Eames makes a soft distressed noise, and bends down, and when he straightens up again, his hands are full of the really plush moss Arthur loves to make his bedding out of. He doesn't have much of it because it grows at the very tops of trees, and it's difficult to scale that high to get the stuff. Arthur can't imagine how hard it must have been for big, muscular Eames to climb to such precarious heights to secure the moss.

 

And he's got a _lot_ of it resting at his feet. Arthur stares at the mound, and when he looks back to Eames, he's annoyed to find a smug gleam in the alpha's eyes. He takes a bunch of the moss, and one of the fish, and then he walks back towards the cave without saying anything to Eames.

 

He places the moss on his pre-existing bedding, and then sets about grilling the fish for his breakfast. 

 

Eames cautiously follows him up to the cave and peeks in, watching as he starts a fire. Arthur doesn't say anything when the alpha shuffles back inside and stands awkwardly at the lip of the cave. He ignores Eames while he guts the fish and balances it over a couple sticks to cook it above the flames.

 

It's only when he hears a noise behind him that Arthur wheels around and sees Eames drawing on the wall again, this time with a clump of clay from the cave's floor. The stuff is all over the place—red, and heavy, and Eames uses it to make marks that Arthur is eventually able to discern are the river outside, and the trees, and the sun and moon in the sky. 

 

Then Eames draws something that doesn't make sense: a little person in the sky, between the sun and the moon.

 

When Eames sees him staring curiously, he points at the pretend man. "Arthur," the alpha says, and he frowns in response. That doesn't make sense. He doesn't live in the sky with the sun and moon. He lives on the ground in a cave. 

 

Eames grunts, frustrated, when he sees Arthur doesn't understand. "Arthur," he insists again, and points at the man floating between sun and moon.

 

The omega flushes when he finally comprehends. 

 

Eames is comparing to him to the sun and moon in terms of importance, and he quickly looks away because, while it's a silly thing to declare, it still makes him feel a little lightheaded. Maybe the alpha wasn't simply _attacking_ him. Maybe he intends to make Arthur his mate. "No," he says simply, and takes his food off the fire to eat. 

 

"Yes," Eames insists quietly behind him, the declaration making Arthur's ears burn.

 

He scowls at the fire as he eats, and when he's done, Arthur turns around, and Eames is still standing there foolishly, gripping the bit of clay. He looks so dejected that Arthur maybe doesn't like his drawing that the omega feels a little guilty. He picks up a bit of the fish and holds it out towards Eames. 

 

The alpha's face brightens and he walks forth, accepting the bit of food. He sits by Arthur and eats the fish, which is actually a peace offering, and they both know it.

 

 

***

Eames spends the next few weeks in the cave with him, but there is never a repeat performance of the first night's assault. Now, the alpha very deliberately gives Arthur a wide berth of space when they sleep, so there's no confusion that Eames may be up to funny business. 

 

Additionally, Eames works his fingers to the bone trying to impress Arthur. His hunting suddenly becomes better than adequate, and eventually they stop hunting entirely because they've actually got _too much_ meat hanging on lines outside—a so-called problem Arthur has never experienced before. Eames also has an impressive knowledge of the forrest, and ways to keep predators at bay. He finds a plant deep in the heart of the woods and grinds it up into a fine powder that he then scatters around their drying meat. He explains in monosyllabic words that this is to keep wolves and bears away.

 

And it works. No creatures touch their food.

 

Eames paints wonderful murals on the walls of the cave in different colors of ash and clay, and he draws Arthur as a fierce warrior standing atop a fantastically huge pile of bison. 

 

Arthur laughs when he sees the image, and Eames smiles brightly.

 

He looks closely at the painting. Arthur has seen his reflection briefly in the water many times, but no one has ever drawn his likeness. Eames paints him with wild, billowing curls, and wide, dark eyes. It's an affectionate depiction—maybe even romantic, but Arthur hurries outside and pretends to tend to the drying meat so he doesn't think about it too deeply.

 

 

***

Just when Arthur has decided to officially forgive him, Eames gets terribly sick.

 

It starts one morning when Arthur rises with the sun, but Eames is still curled up on his side. Arthur lets him sleep, and walks around to check on the meat and tidy up a bit before he squats by Eames and shakes him gently.

 

At first, Arthur thinks he's just being lazy and slow to wake, but then he feels the back of Eames' head, and it's soaked with sweat and burning hot. He's feverous even though he's taken off his fur second-skin thing, and he's currently sleeping nude. Arthur frowns and peers closer at his face. "Eames?" he murmurs, touching his brow. Again, he's hot to the touch.

 

Arthur is scared. He had a little sister who died of fever one winter, but he remembers everything his mother did for her before the terrible night she stopped breathing. Arthur grabs the Eames' fur second-skin and tears off a strip, then he runs down to the river and soaks it in the cold water. Arthur races back to the cave and kneels by Eames, placing the cold fabric to his brow. 

 

In his stupor, Eames moans and rolls onto his back, which is when Arthur sees the alpha's erection pressing against his stomach. He immediately looks away, even though Eames is probably too out of it to even notice if he did have a look. Still, Arthur doesn't think this is necessarily unusual. Sometimes, he awakes with a hard cock too, even when he's not feeling well.

 

Arthur finds a small cup he carved out of wood and takes it to the stream to fill it with water. He remembers his mother saying it's important for a sick person to drink a lot of water because they sweat so much. Arthur takes the full cup to Eames and helps the alpha sit up a bit so he can drink. Most of it runs down Eames' chest, but a little manages to make it past his lips. 

 

When he jostles the alpha around, his scent floods Arthur's nostrils and makes him feel… _strange._ Sort of lightheaded, but also something else. Arthur ignores the sensation, and picks up the empty cup. He walks back down to the river, and when he squats down to fill the cup with water, he realizes the wetness is back—running down the backs of his legs and dripping onto the grassy bank in rivulets. 

 

He makes an annoyed, disgusted noise, and quickly dips into the water to rid his body of the moisture. Arthur is feeling a little warm too, and he dips into the cool stream, hoping that will stave off any fever. He doesn't want to be wet around Eames because he remembers how his alpha father reacted when he woke up one morning in a pool of liquid. Eames will be angry and chase him away, if he doesn't die from fever first, that is.

 

Arthur climbs out of the water, and up the bank, and nearly stumbles backwards into the river when he discovers Eames standing there. The alpha is nude, swaying slightly on his feet, his body shining beneath a thin sheen of sweat. His eyes are glazed, and though he's looking straight at Arthur, the omega doesn't know if he actually sees him.

 

"Eames?" he asks cautiously, and the alpha inhales sharply, grunting and squinting in his direction. 

 

Another wave of Eames' scent washes over him, but it's much thicker this time, and Arthur has to bite back a gasp when the heady pheromones flood his nose. He feels hot again, and knows instinctively it's not from the sun, and when his thighs tremble a little, Arthur feels the wetness again, but it's worse this time, and within a matter of seconds it coats his legs and the crevice at his rear.

 

Eames' nostrils flare, and for the first time, Arthur comprehends the alpha smells him also. His heart races in his chest, and suddenly his throat is very dry. The empty cup is at his feet, and he wants to reach down, grab it, and fill it with water to drink, but he can't move. 

 

Eames is staring at him, and he's looking back, and he _can't move_.

 

Finally, Arthur forces his feet forward, and tries to walk past Eames, but the alpha grabs him, and throws him across the large flat rock. Eames' strength is tremendous, much more so now than before, and Arthur hits the hard surface so hard he's momentarily stunned, and the collision knocks the air from his lungs. He growls angrily, but doesn't have time to roll over before the alpha is upon him, grabbing him by the back of the neck and forcing his face against the rock's smooth surface.

 

"Eames!" Arthur shouts, kicking out and struggling any way he can, trying to escape.

 

He's horrified to discover his cock is hard against the rock. That happens sometimes in the heat of battle, but this time, combined with the wetness, Arthur knows something is different. But he still doesn't understand what's happening.

 

Eames grabs his arm and yanks it painfully behind his back. Arthur cries out, and immediately stops struggling because he knows if he does so, his arm will snap. The alpha reaches between his thighs and gropes the wet area beneath his ass, and Arthur whimpers.

 

He squirms, unable to help himself when Eames' fingers dip between the cheeks and touch his hole. "No," he whispers hoarsely, and Eames makes a soft, soothing noise in response. 

 

The omega's will to fight comes surging back when Eames presses the fat head of his cock to Arthur's hole, and he fully understands what the alpha aims to do with him. He cries out in alarm, but the alpha grabs his hair and forces his face back against the rock as he shoves his hips forward and claims him. A broken howl escapes Arthur's throat as the alpha begins to rut him roughly, one hand gripping the base of his neck, the other keeping his arm pinned behind his back.

 

Arthur can't move. He's totally helpless beneath Eames, and worse, he's so wet that the alpha's cock makes lewd noises as it violates him. Arthur sobs as he rocks forward under the pressure of Eames' thrusts, and his cock leaks across the stone. 

 

Eames shifts positions a bit, pushes forward, and down, and another sound leaves Arthur, but this times it's a throaty moan. Another tremor tears through him, and an additional wave of wetness pours out of him. He chokes back another sob, and squirms beneath Eames, who growls in response to the sensation. 

 

Arthur is humiliated. He is defeated. 

 

And yet. 

 

Eames rolls his hips carefully, grinding against a spot deep inside his body, and Arthur's lips fall open when he moans loudly. He tries to arch his back and offer his ass to the alpha so Eames can hit that same spot again, which he does, and Arthur quakes in appreciation. He's soaked—wetter than he's ever been, and the alpha has reached peak frenzy behind him.

 

Now certain Arthur won't fight him, Eames releases his neck and wrist, and instead grips his hips so he can pound into the omega. Arthur's voice goes a little hysterical when it leaves him in a single, sustained keen that wavers each time Eames' hips slap against his ass. He gropes blindly at the stone for purchase, but it's too large for him to grip the edge, and so he's dragged back and forth by the alpha—pushed and pulled at will as Eames fucks him.

 

Arthur is crying still, but now from frustration because he wants to spill his seed so badly. He can't get his hand between his hips and the stone without crushing his fingers, though, so he bucks and grinds until he comes without touching himself.

 

Eames shouts when his inner muscles clamp down on his cock, and he grabs a fistful of Arthur's hair, pulling back his head so the omega is forced to arch his back as far as it will go. Then Eames continues to fuck him, like he's riding one of the wild horses from the great plain. "Good," he grunts, pleased when Arthur passively obeys, tilting his head back, his lips agape as he gasps and moans.

 

The praise surges through him, a warm, pleasant buzz that makes Arthur feel lightheaded. _His alpha thinks he's good. His alpha._

 

Eames thrusts deeply into him, and then goes still, which confuses Arthur until he feels the alpha's cock growing inside him. Arthur's eyes widen and he whimpers, struggling again, but Eames grabs him firmly and keeps him pinned to the rock. "No," the alpha growls against his ear, using his superior weight to eliminate the possibility of escape. 

 

Arthur wonders if he's going to die—if the alpha's cock will keep growing until he splits open. "Eames," he whimpers, afraid, and the alpha kisses and nuzzles the side of his cheek comfortingly. 

 

It's enough to quiet Arthur.

 

Just when Arthur decides he's going to perish here on this rock, trapped beneath an alpha, Eames spills his seed inside him. The alpha grunts loudly, pumping his hips forth minutely as if trying to empty his sac as deeply as possible. 

 

Arthur's face burns in a mixture of embarrassment and arousal. Part of his conscious mind is painfully aware he's being debased and marked by the alpha, but the subconscious part of his brain feels prideful and comforted.

 

Eames mouths at his ear and cheek until Arthur turns towards him and they press their lips together, breathing each other's air. "Good," Eames murmurs again, and Arthur makes a soft, pleased noise. Suddenly, he hears the alpha purring—his barrel chest vibrating slightly from the noise, and Arthur quietly listens, transfixed on the sound.

 

When the alpha is soft again, he pulls out, and slowly climbs down the bank before helping Arthur down, as well. Arthur laughs when Eames picks him up, and he wraps his legs around the alpha's waist as he wades into the middle of the river. 

 

Arthur wraps his arms around Eames' shoulders, and they kiss slowly, which is nice and different than the frantic rutting before. Eames's hands move from the base of his spine, to his rear, and Arthur winces a little.

 

Eames pulls away and frowns at his face. "Hurt?" he asks, and now that the frenzy of his heat has temporarily subsided, Arthur sees the alpha looks concerned—maybe even a little frightened at the prospect he might have hurt the omega.

 

He smiles and shakes his head. "No," he whispers.

 

But he does have small injuries. His face is bruised, for example, from banging against the rock, and so the alpha tenderly kisses the marks. Eames mouths water droplets from his clavicle, and his neck, and murmurs just beneath his ear: "Eames stay?"

 

Arthur trembles a little because the water is cold, and because he doesn't know why he feels so strongly about a bossy alpha who just invaded his life, is a somewhat terrible hunter, and who paints beautiful things.

 

"Eames stay," he replies, quiet and content.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eames' family

They live together in the cave for months, and spend that time hunting, fishing, and foraging. Eames shows Arthur how to make bedding out of animal pelts, but when he tries to affix a bit of spare skin around Arthur's waist, the omega looks at him strangely, removes the covering, and continues on with his routine. 

 

At night, they passionately rut beside the fire, and Eames covers his mouth when Arthur gets too loud so he won't attract the attention of predators.

 

It's good to have a partner now—not just to hunt and improve their home, but for company, affection, and entertainment. Arthur finds he likes Eames because he paints things that are nice to look at, and he makes Arthur laugh sometimes when he draws silly or impossible images. He's also nice to cuddle with beside the fire, and Arthur feels safe because he knows if a wolf comes, Eames will kill it.

 

One morning, Arthur awakes with the sun, and immediately feels his stomach cramp and lurch. He has to race outside, and just barely manages to crouch by some weeds before he vomits. The loud retching noise wakes Eames, who wanders outside and stands beside him, gently rubbing his back as he's sick.

 

Afterwards, Arthur feels abnormally tired even though he got a full night's rest and slept soundly. He recovers in the cave, and Eames brings him berries to eat. Arthur recognizes them—they're the small, blue berries he eats sometimes when he has a stomachache, but this doesn't feel like in the past when Arthur accidentally ate spoiled meat.

 

This is an entirely new feeling.

 

Arthur remains largely sedentary for three days, and during that time, Eames does everything from the cooking to building their nightly fires. He feels grateful because if Eames wasn't here, Arthur knows he certainly would have died.

 

But the whole time, Eames keeps casting him worried looks that put Arthur on edge. It's almost like the alpha also knows this isn't a normal illness.

 

Finally, when he's strong enough to climb to his feet one morning, Eames approaches him and gently rests his hand against the flat plain of Arthur's stomach.

 

"Baby," he says, gazing meaningfully from Arthur's stomach back to his face.

 

Arthur's eyes widen in surprise. He knows that word, after all. Arthur looks down at Eames' hand, and then back to the alpha's face to make sure this isn't another one of Eames' little jokes. But Eames looks serious—beyond that, he looks _worried_. 

 

Arthur doesn't know what to say, so he frowns, and walks away. He needs to go bathe in the river because he feels grimy and greasy from laying still in his own misery for three days. When he dips beneath the freezing water's surface, he remains submerged for a few seconds and thinks. 

 

_A baby._

 

Of course, he knows sex leads to babies, but he hadn't really thought about his relationship with Eames in a long-term perspective. They have a fun, nice arrangement, but a baby is serious. They'll have to hunt more, and they won't be able to kill together anymore. One of them, Arthur most likely, will have to stay behind and care for the pup. 

 

A baby is going to change everything.

 

When Arthur resurfaces, he sucks in a deep breath, shakes the water out of his eyes, and when he looks up, Eames is standing above him on the bank. He's holding their spears, one of which he waves in Arthur's direction.

 

"Hunt," he says, and Arthur nods in response.

 

***

 

Arthur walks with quiet feet behind Eames, but he notices the alpha doesn't appear to actually be looking around the woods for game. In fact, he's marching through the brush without care for where he steps, and his feet are noisily snapping twigs and crunching leaves. 

 

He huffs, annoyed, through his nose, which grabs Eames' attention. The alpha sends him a nervous, tightlipped smile that makes Arthur feel uneasy.

 

They walk a long time—longer than Arthur has ever strayed from his home in the cave. Eventually, Eames lowers the spear and passively carries it at his side, and Arthur warily notes that the alpha definitely isn't interested in hunting.

 

So why are they out here?

 

He stops walking finally and makes a soft noise of distress. Eames looks over his shoulder at him, and Arthur points back down the hillside—back towards home. Eames shakes his head and approaches Arthur, gripping his wrist, and pulling him gently. But Arthur makes another agitated sound and shakes his head. "Home," he insists.

 

"Arthur, come," Eames responds simply, turns, and continues walking.

 

Arthur watches the familiar swagger of the alpha's shoulders for a moment before he hurries after him again. There is a baby growing inside of him, and Eames is the father, and Arthur feels extremely vulnerable standing here in the middle of the woods, so he doesn't want to lose sight of the alpha. 

 

Still, he wishes Eames would tell him where they're going.

 

The sun is low in the sky, and Arthur has just decided he's going to make Eames stop walking, and force him to say where they're headed, when he sees the glow of a fire on the edge of a cliffside above them.

 

He grabs Eames' arm, and wide-eyed and fearful, points at the flames. There's another tribe nearby. They should hide until morning, and then head back home. But strangely, Eames doesn't look afraid. He covers Arthur's hand clutching his arm and gives it an affectionate squeeze. "Safe," he says softly, with such quiet confidence that Arthur believes him even though this whole situation is insane.

 

They just found out Arthur is _with child_ , and Eames took them from the safety of their home, and is now leading them towards another tribe—a tribe that could very likely perceive them as dangerous and try to kill them.

 

Still, he's afraid to shout and throw a fit because that will also attract the attention of the tribe. Arthur instead follows Eames obediently up a slow incline, until he comprehends this path will lead them directly into the other tribe's camp.

 

"Eames," he hisses quietly, grabbing the alpha's arm again. He points straight ahead to making his meaning clear. Arthur's starting to wonder if Eames has gone mad.

 

"Safe," the alpha insists again, and takes Arthur's hand.

 

The omega feels numb—as though this is all a strange dream—when they simply walk straight into the foreign camp. He waits for an attack, or their immediate execution, but that never happens. Instead, people, many people, flood from caves spotted against the side of the mountain, and from small huts scattered along the wide, long precipice. 

 

His mate quickly stoops down to place his spear horizontally on the ground, and Arthur follows suit. He doesn't want the tribe to think he's hostile or a threat.

 

The tribe is bigger than any Arthur has ever seen before, and his immediate instinct is to hide behind Eames, even though the alpha's energy is still remarkably relaxed. When Arthur peeks around Eames' shoulder, he sees a dark-skinned man with curly hair approach them, and his teeth are bared, but not in a hostile way. He begins chattering excitedly to Eames, but the words are coming too fast for Arthur to understand. 

 

And to his great surprise, Eames responds at a similar rate. He furrows his brow and looks from Eames' profile, back to the strange man, and understands. Eames _knows_ these people. This must be his previous tribe. 

 

The curly-haired man looks at him and says something, but he doesn't understand, and Arthur's face flushes in embarrassment. Eames raises a hand to the stranger, and says a series of words in response, and the man nods in understanding. Then he taps his chest and says slowly, "Yusuf."

 

Arthur watches him repeat the gesture, and then the word, and he has a flashback to the first time he met Eames.

 

He points to his chest and quietly replies: "Arthur."

 

The man exclaims, "Arthur!" happily, and claps his hands together. A series of echoes _Arthur, Arthur_ ripple through the pool of observers, and he again shrinks behind Eames.

 

Arthur stands awkwardly as Eames is enthusiastically received by men and women, and he feels a spike of jealousy when Eames hugs and nuzzles a tall, blond man, who then looks at the omega curiously. The man asks Eames something in their strange, rapid tongue, and Eames smiles brightly, answers, and gestures to Arthur's stomach.

 

Which is when the strangers swarm to coo, touch, and smell him, and touch his belly. Eames must have told them about the baby. Arthur's heart hammers in his chest, and he desperately looks through the group of people to find Eames. The alpha must see the fear in his eyes because he wades through the curious crowd, and wraps his arms around Arthur to partially shield him.

 

Eames barks something, and the people back up. He's tremendously grateful, and clings to the alpha's side. Arthur knows this tribe doesn't mean him harm, but he's unaccustomed to people touching him familiarly. Recently, only Eames has touched him, and he's afraid he'll get hard and offend the tribe, and he doesn't want to be the reason Eames is cast out of his home.

 

Sensing his distress, the alpha guides them through the swarm, and says something that results in everyone leaving them alone. He takes Arthur to one of the huts, and the omega curiously peers inside once Eames pulls aside the hide. Inside, the ground is lined with animal pelt, and when Arthur hunches down and climbs in, he sees a pile of tree bark in the corner. Upon closer inspection, there are clay drawings, similar to the ones Eames did in their cave, and he knows this must have been Eames' old hut when he still lived with the tribe.

 

Apparently, they preserved everything exactly as Eames left it because the tribe knew he would return. Arthur has never known of tribes that allow alphas a return after they mate, but then again, there's clearly much he doesn't understand about Eames' family. Arthur sits on the fur and looks around. He feels flustered and overwhelmed, but beyond that, he's afraid. Eames is different around his tribe, and he's filled with a light here that Arthur has never seen before.

 

He wonders if things will change now between them—if there is another omega waiting for Eames here. At the very least, he has friends, and Arthur spitefully hates them because he hates seeing other people touch Eames intimately. 

 

"Sick?" Eames asks when he sees the unhappy pout on Arthur's lips. 

 

They always communicate monosyllabically, and Arthur never thought much of it, but now he wonders if Eames and his friends think he's stupid because his whole world boils down to a handful of words. But why would anyone come up with noises beyond things like _food_ and _hunt_? Eames' friends are clearly lazy and wasteful if they have so much time to sit around and chirp away like a bunch of colorful, but useless birds.

 

He shakes his head, and when Eames moves forward to touch his cheek and make sure he's not warm, Arthur grabs the alpha by his broad shoulders and kisses him hungrily. Eames makes a soft, surprised noise, but he returns the embrace, and climbs atop Arthur, who parts his thighs and wraps his legs around Eames' waist.

 

Arthur wants Eames to rut him—loudly. He wants the whole tribe to hear that Eames is his, and to send a warning message to all the other omegas: _back off_.

 

He's wet, and writhes beneath Eames as the alpha fucks him roughly. Arthur arches his back, and moans throatily—for show, but also because it feels good. It always feels so good with Eames. Arthur curls his fingers into the alpha's loincloth and pulls it off so he can claw at the bare skin of his ass cheek, and Eames growls in response, sucking marks into the supple flesh beneath Arthur's chin.

 

He nips and bites at Eames' mouth when he can, hoping to coax the alpha into retaliating and marking him so the whole tribe will know what they've been up to. Eames doesn't disappoint him. The alpha leaves purple bruises along the curve of his neck, and his chest, and Arthur wails as Eames bites them into his flesh.

 

He'll be in pain later, but Arthur will carry the marks proudly because they'll prove Eames chooses _him_ , not anyone else, as his mate.

 

Eames knots him, and then it hurts in a different way, but Arthur loves it still, and he clings to Eames until the alpha softens. 

 

Arthur is vaguely aware of Eames nuzzling him, and kissing his neck on the same spot he mauled moments before, and when he focuses his eyes again, the alpha is reattaching the pelt around his waist. Eames points at the ground, and says: "Stay."

 

He frowns, but nods. Arthur has no desire to explore the camp, anyway. Eames' tribe is strange, and he doesn't want to hear their frantic blathering.

 

Eames pulls aside the pelt and is gone.

 

***

 

It turns out, Arthur never should have let Eames go because he ended up plotting with his other tribe members, and that is why Arthur now has to wear an itchy, uncomfortable wrap around his waist, and attend speaking lessons with the tall blond man, apparently named Cobb.

 

They sit on two flat rocks in the middle of camp, and Arthur glares at the man, who smiles back at him, seemingly oblivious. Cobb points at various things around them, says words, and Arthur is expected to repeat the words back.

 

It's an incredibly tedious task, and Arthur hates it. But on the plus side, he's remembering the words with ease, and Cobb seems surprised, which makes Arthur feel smug and vengeful. He wonders if the whole tribe thought he was some dumb little omega, who timidly opened his legs for Eames, and is now with child.

 

Initially, Arthur was worried about being quasi-alone with another alpha, but Eames assured him he was safe, and the other man is not a threat. And Arthur trusts Eames, so he listens, and plays the part of dutiful student.

 

"Arthur good hunter?" Cobb asks.

 

He furrows his brow and tries to remember the appropriate words and order of things. "Good spear throw," he says.

 

Cobb nods and looks thoughtful at that. Arthur doesn't know if this is still part of the lesson, or if they've moved on to casual banter. He gazes over Cobb's shoulder and longingly eyes their hut. He doesn't feel well. He wants to go lay down and sleep for a while.

 

"First baby?" the alpha asks.

 

Arthur nods, but knows Cobb won't let him get away with non-verbal responses because these people are so in love with the sounds of their own voices. "First baby," he quietly echoes.

 

"Happy?" Cobb prompts, smiling like _he's_ certainly awaiting the pup's arrival with breathless excitement.

 

Arthur nods reflexively, and then his training kicks in. "Yes. Eames good mate," he says, smiling with tight lips. He's trying to be polite, but he wants to find Eames and take a nap.

 

Cobb smiles and nods, seemingly pleased at that news. "Need help, find me," he instructs, pointing vaguely to Arthur's stomach.

 

"Thank you," he mumbles quietly. 

 

Eames told him this is why they're here—for the tribe to help them when the baby comes, but Arthur is still wary of the news. He doesn't want strangers holding their baby, and taking it from his arms. Eames insists the tribe will be an asset, and protect them from a world of threats, but Arthur still doesn't fully trust.

 

Finally, Cobb dismisses him, and he hurries back to the hut, but as he approaches their living quarters, he sees two women hunched at the front. When they hear Arthur's footfalls, they straighten up quickly, and smile pleasantly at him. In their arms, they hold baskets filled with various fruits and berries—a far more diverse selection than Arthur has ever seen centralized in one location.

 

Everything about Eames' family is more advanced than Arthur's previous life, and he's embarrassed by how he lived for so long, so he resents these people and their offering.

 

When Arthur doesn't immediately, and graciously, accept the offering, the shorter of the two women rests a hand above one of her covered breasts. "Ariadne," she says.

 

The taller women smiles and holds out the basket towards him. "Mal," she says, and Arthur knows those must be their names.

 

He files _Ariadne_ and _Mal_ away in his memory, accepts the basket, mumbles his thanks, and retreats into the hut. He recognizes the women are probably curious, and wanted to visit and learn about him, but he doesn't want to speak right now. He feels sick, tired, and overwhelmed, so Arthur lays down, shuts his eyes, and wills himself to sleep.

 

Sometime later, Eames enters the hut and wakes him. Groggily, Arthur looks over and sees the alpha has a little wooden horse in his hand. The bottom has been carved into an arch, so when Eames places it on the ground, the toy rocks back and forth. Arthur smiles slowly when Eames grins at him. His mate seems like he's in a good mood after successfully fashioning a toy for their child, so he decides to plead one more time with him.

 

"Home?" Arthur asks faintly, even though he's almost certain what the response will be.

 

Eames frowns, and the omega immediately regrets bringing up the issue again because his mate clearly thought the matter was settled. "Here home," he answers gently, confirming Arthur's fears. 

 

Eames wants them to stay here. He wants these people to help raise their child. 

 

He doesn't pull away when his mate curls up beside him and tugs Arthur close. Instead, he buries his face against Eames' chest and inhales the alpha's familiar scent. Large, strong hands smooth across his back, rubbing comfortingly. "Safe here," Eames whispers into his curls. "Arthur and Eames safe."

 

Arthur believes him. He _wants_ to believe, anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's pregnancy

Arthur has to cut wider and wider swaths of fur to cover the circumference of his expanding waist as the weeks pass. He has a prominent belly now that others in the tribe are always trying to touch, and he hates when they do it, but he's afraid to growl at them and anger Eames.

 

Luckily, his mate seems to know he detests the violation of his personal space because he frequently shoos away curious bystanders when they go on walks together around the immediate precipice surrounding the mountain caves. Arthur has noticed Eames' tribe doesn't venture in the woods as regularly as he used to in his old life. Eames once explained, albeit it vaguely, when he gestured to the trees down below and uttered: "Dangerous."

 

The alphas only leave the camp occasionally, and always in a group, to hunt and forage. They return carrying dead deer, and in one joyous occasion, an entire bison. That night, the tribe built a great fire, and people danced into the early hours of the morning. To commemorate the victory, Eames drew a beautiful image of a fierce warrior spearing a bison on the inside of the largest cave. 

 

When Arthur asks Eames who the brave warrior was, his mate points to Cobb, who is seated by the fire with the omega named Mal seated on his lap. Mal is feeding him bits of smoked meat, and he looks utterly smitten as he gazes at her face.

 

He's impressed. Prior to this occasion, he always thought Cobb seemed like a weak alpha. Apparently, he was mistaken.

 

Arthur has just secured the pelt around his waist when Eames comes bursting into the hut, carrying a small, squirming puff of fur. He stares in confusion at his mate's hands until he realizes it's a baby wolf. At once, Arthur's eyes widen and he shrinks backwards. Where there is a baby wolf, there is a mother searching for her pup, and now Eames has led her  _straight to them_. She'll pick up on her pup's scent and come and eat them at night.

 

What was Eames _thinking_?

 

"Go," he hisses angrily, pointing from the pup to the entrance of the tent. 

 

Eames' glowing expression vanishes from his face. Strangely, he appears to have thought Arthur would be _glad_ to see the creature that will lead to their eventual demise. He holds up the baby wolf again so it's eye level with Arthur, and he sighs, annoyed, but looks at the tiny animal. The whelp squirms in Eames' hands, and can barely open its eyes, but when it does, it looks straight at Arthur and lets out a soft whine.

 

It must be thirsty.

 

Arthur frowns.

 

This is a terrible idea. He's pregnant, and a pup will be another mouth to feed. Additionally, one day the pup will become a full-grown wolf, and what then? What if it turns on them and tries to kill the baby? 

 

"Dangerous," he says slowly, repeating one of the words Cobb taught him. 

 

Eames shakes his head firmly. "No. Friend," he insists, setting the small pup down on the pelt-covered ground. It instantly tries to stand, and falls over onto its side, which makes Arthur laugh despite himself. When he looks up, his mate is watching him, smiling. "Friend," he stresses again.

 

This is another word Cobb taught him, but for a long time, he thought it meant _blond_ because Cobb always said it while pointing at himself. Friendship is an abstract concept for Arthur. He knows mother, and he knows mate, but he's never known _friend_. When he looks down at the little ball of fur, Arthur furrows his brow.

 

To him, _friend_ looks weak.

 

"Mother," he says, pointing to the pup, and Eames immediately catches his meaning.

 

"Dead," the alpha explains simply.

 

Well, at least that's a small comfort.

 

Regardless, Arthur glowers at the tiny offender. He still thinks this is a bad idea, but Eames seems determined to keep the pup.

 

"Atak," Eames says, pointing to the pup, and Arthur nods a little in resignation.

 

"Atak," he agrees quietly. 

 

_Welcome to the family._

 

***

 

Arthur knew adopting the pup was a mistake, but then, Eames doesn't want to listen to him.

 

He's on his hands and knees because this is the only way they can rut now, and Eames feels thick and hot inside him as the alpha thrusts forward, hips smacking loudly against his ass. Arthur huffs and grunts loudly, gripping the pelts so he can thrust back enthusiastically.

 

There are occasionally perks to Cobb's language lessons, say, for example, when he barks, "Faster," at Eames, who immediately picks up on the cue and pounds into his wetness. 

 

It feels so good, and Arthur is close to his release, when Atak begins to fuss and whine from his nest of pelts on the other side of the hut. He can tell Eames is distracted by the noise because the rhythm falters, and Arthur growls in frustration, slamming his hand down against the furs to get his mate's attention. "Go!" he instructs, shoving backwards to egg on the alpha, but it's no use.

 

Eames pulls out and goes to check on the pup, and Arthur collapses to the pelts on his side. He watches the alpha dribble a few drops of water into the pup's mouth, and when Eames looks back to him, Arthur offers his best pout. 

 

He doesn't understand why Eames prefers to care for the pup of some dead wolf than his own partner, so when the alpha returns to him, he shrinks backward, and makes very clear that he's not happy with Eames. The alpha kneels beside him and sighs when he sees the scowl fixated on Arthur's face.

 

"Atak protect," he explains, and Arthur blinks in response, glancing at the barely breathing puffball, and then stares at his mate, unimpressed. Eames smirks, and leans down to kiss the omega's mouth. "Big and strong," he whispers, meaning _one day_ the wolf will serve as their guardian and protect them. 

 

Eventually, Arthur relents, and allows Eames to roll him onto his side so they can finish where they left off. When they're knotted, the alpha purrs happily and strokes Arthur's stomach, and that's the last thing he remembers before he falls asleep.

 

***

 

Arthur is waddling through camp one day when he passes Mal, who is carrying a woven basket filled with pelts. She smiles brightly, radiant and lovely, and Arthur automatically hates her a little bit for being beautiful when he's feeling swollen and hideous. Arthur is still hyper-protective of Eames, and he automatically perceives all other omegas as a potential threat, even though Mal seems very much in love with Cobb.

 

"Arthur," she greets happily, and doesn't reach to touch his belly, which earns her a couple points in his mind.

 

Mal and Cobb have two children, so maybe she knows what it's like to be the center of attention all the time, even when you don't want to be.

 

"Mal," he says in return, pleasantly enough. 

 

"Come," she insists, nodding towards one of the caves, and she's so sunny and nice when she says it that Arthur somehow ends up following her before he even fully understands what's happening.

 

Ariadne is in the cave, sorting through pelts and various loincloths, and half-heartedly glares at Mal when the woman dumps yet another pile of furs at her feet. Ariadne is a beta, but she's expected to contribute wherever she's needed, and today that happens to be the monotonous task of laundry. Other times, that means she gets to hunt with the alphas, which Arthur envies because he misses being active and agile.

 

He immediately sits on a nearby flat rock. Lately, walking around has become a torturous task and his ankles get very swollen. Ariadne and Mal begin chattering away in their rapid, excited way, but this time Arthur is able to pick up a lot more words. They seem to be discussing last week's great feast when Cobb killed the bison and everyone danced by the fire. 

 

Mal grins wickedly, says a slew of words Arthur doesn't comprehend, but then one that he does: "Cock," and then she holds up her hands an impressive distance apart.

 

Arthur bursts out laughing.

 

Mal and Ariadne look at him, matching grins on their faces. So _this_ is what they get up to every day? Gossiping about the alphas? Well, it's certainly more interesting than sitting in the hut by himself, watching Atak try to make his little legs work.

 

Mal quirks a brow at him. "Eames?" she asks, clearly referencing their prior conversation about cock lengths.

 

Arthur snickers and holds his hands up, again, a generous distance apart. Ariadne makes an appreciative sound with her mouth, and Mal bursts out laughing.

 

After that, Arthur helps as much as he can folding the pelts, and promises to help the women the following day too. Mal advises he sleep with some furs stuffed under his ankles to keep them elevated, and she says that helped when she was pregnant with her two children.

 

Towards the end of the day, Cobb arrives at the cave with the cubs, James and Phillipa trailing behind him. They've clearly just come back from their language lessons because James is uttering words Arthur recognizes under his breath repetitively, committing them to memory.

 

Arthur offers Cobb a tight-lipped smile, and accepts his hand when the alpha helps him to his feet. "Thank you," Arthur murmurs quietly because it's the polite thing to do, and also Cobb taught him the phrase, and he figures it will please the alpha.

 

He's apparently correct because Cobb smiles brightly and nods. 

 

Arthur waves goodbye to everyone and waddles back to his hut, and finds Eames dribbling water into Atak's mouth again. The pup looks a little more coherent today, and he's at least able to open his eyes and stare around curiously. 

 

He watches the alpha handle the pup as he slowly moves to sit down on the furs, and he's just gotten comfortable with his back braced against the side of the hut, when his stomach lurches, and he gasps.

 

Eames immediately forgets about the pup and looks at him in concern, but Arthur smiles to show he's okay, and waves the alpha closer. "Baby," he says in explanation, and takes Eames' hand when he's close enough to place it against the swell of his belly.

 

Then they wait. Eames brow furrows and he watches Arthur's stomach, and then suddenly, there's another sharp kick. Eames yelps in surprise, grinning like an excited little boy. "Strong!" he says happily, and Arthur can't help but mirror his enthusiasm.

 

"Like you," Arthur agrees, nodding.

 

Eames' eyes are soft when he leans forward and kisses Arthur. "Like us," he insists quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's pregnancy

Arthur is huge and in a foul mood all the time these days. He can't even go for walks to be with Mal and Ariadne because his ankles are too swollen, and it's painful to hobble even the short distance to the cave. The loincloth barely clears the circumference of his waist even though Eames just cut this swath last week, and he's too embarrassed to ask the alpha to make him a new one. 

 

Atak is no longer a pup, but he's still too small to do anything besides roll around on the pelts and yap at Arthur when he wants attention, which is always. Still, it's nice to have company considering most of his day involves lying on his side.

 

When he does venture outside, he sees young, fit omegas traipsing around, and Arthur doesn't like the idea of them being around Eames, although his mate has never proven to have a wandering eye.

 

Mostly, Arthur lays around their hut naked—massive and useless—dressing only when Mal stands outside and threatens to drag him out by his ankles if he doesn't cover himself and join them outside for a brief chat and to eat some fruit.

 

He can't do anything else, but eating is still a skill he possesses. Eames goes to great lengths to bring him sweet fruits and lots of meat to keep him happy and sated, and still he wakes up in the middle of the night with a craving to eat more.

 

The baby—their son, Eames is convinced—is strong and kicks him all the time now, and sometimes he can actually see the outline of a foot against his stomach when it happens. Now that he's close to the end of his pregnancy, Arthur's chest is swollen with milk, and it's hard for him to sleep on his back because the weight of his new breasts and his swollen stomach make him uncomfortable. So he curls up on his side and tries to sleep, but it's difficult.

 

One evening, Eames tries to get Arthur to join him outside because Cobb is building a fire and everyone is going to gather around it and tell stories. Word has it that Eames is the best storyteller of all, and the alpha clearly wants to show off his skill to his mate, but Arthur is busily sulking and shaking his head.

 

"Come," Eames says, but he's frowning, concerned. He furrows his brow and watches Arthur, who is nude and seated on some pelts. "Sick?" he asks, a hint of fear in his tone.

 

Arthur exhales loudly through his nose. He doesn't know why this has to be a big deal because the omega simply doesn't want to be around people right now. He wishes Atak would come in from playing outside to serve as a distraction. "No," he murmurs, but when Eames doesn't go away, he knows he'll have to explain himself. The omega wracks his brain, trying to summon words Cobb has taught him over the past few weeks that will explain himself to Eames. Finally, he remembers something. Arthur points at his big belly, and says: "Ugly."

 

Eames makes a soft distressed sound and moves to him, kneeling against the pelts before Arthur. He rests his palms against Arthur stomach and ducks down a bit to catch the omega's gaze. Arthur frowns but looks back at him. He says something—a long word that Arthur doesn't recognize at first because it's polysyllabic, and he has trouble with those words. His tongue and ears just don't want to cooperate. But he focuses, and eventually, he understands. _Beautiful_. Eames is calling him beautiful.

 

Arthur flushes and shoves him, but not hard. "No," he mutters, but Eames is showing his teeth in a playful grin, and that expression always makes Arthur smile, and when he smiles, he forgets to be mad. 

 

Eames helps him to his feet and then begins searching the hut for a pelt wide enough to cover Arthur's waist. He finds one eventually, and gazes thoughtfully at the omega's stomach as he secures it in place. He leaves Arthur's breasts bare because covering them appears to be optional within the tribe. Sometimes, women and pregnant male omegas choose to cover themselves. Other times, they walk around with their chests exposed. 

 

"Son big," Eames remarks happily, and Arthur smirks in response. Eames doesn't think he's fat—he's just pleased his child is growing properly. 

 

"Son go," Arthur responds, pointing to his stomach and then to the ground, indicating he would like the child to be born, within the hour if possible, because the pregnancy is taking a toll on his body.

 

Eames smiles and kisses his forehead. "Soon," he says encouragingly.

 

Arthur hopes he's right.

 

***

 

Arthur sits by Eames' feet because Mal has laid out pelts for him by the fire, and it's just easier for him to position himself there then try to balance on the log where Eames is seated. 

 

Slowly, he forgets to resent that Eames made him attend the story time because the fire is warm and nice, and there's lots of good food, and Eames keeps running his fingers through Arthur's hair in a lovely, comforting way. Atak curls up between Arthur and the fire and naps contentedly, his belly full of meat scraps.

 

Ariadne arrives and her eyes grow wide when she sees Arthur. "So big!" she exclaims, but in a happy way that doesn't make Arthur feel self-conscious. He doesn't mind when the beta touches his stomach either because he knows Ariadne now, and it's not frightening. "Good," she says, nodding satisfactorily. "Great warrior," she says, rubbing Arthur's stomach and grinning at Eames.

 

Everyone settles eventually and the stories begin.

 

He has a hard time following what's happening, but he understands more than he did before. However, he doesn't know why everyone laughs at certain parts, or why they look afraid during specific stories. The only part he laughs at is when Cobb is telling a story, and he gets very animated, and nearly trips over one of the logs. 

 

Eventually, it's Eames' turn, and the group buzzes with excitement. The alpha launches into what seems like a grand tale, but Arthur is immediately crushed when he fails to keep up with Eames' rapid speech. He tries to maintain a brave face, however, because he knows how important this is to the alpha, and so he plays along: when people laugh, he laughs, and at the end, he applauds thunderously along with the group.

 

Clearly, Eames is very good and told a nice story, but Arthur wishes he understood the words. The alpha pauses at the end of the tale to pluck one of the wildflowers that grow nearby the fire pit, and he presents it to Arthur, a gesture that inspires the tribe to cheer. He doesn't really know why Eames is doing this, but he smiles graciously, and leans up so the alpha can kiss him.

 

When the evening winds to an end, Eames carefully pulls Arthur to his feet, and the omega takes his arm as they walk back to their hut. He hears rustling behind them, and when he looks over his shoulder, Atak is dutifully walking behind them.

 

"Like story?" Eames asks, smiling brightly as Arthur slowly eases onto the pelts. He watches Atak go to his corner and curl up again to resume sleeping.

 

He shouldn't lie. He's never lied to Eames before, and he shouldn't start now, he thinks as he tugs off the loincloth and tosses it aside. "Nice," Arthur replies softly, smiling faintly when he notices Eames is still looking at him.

 

Arthur feels nervous because he knows he's not very good at lying, mostly because he's never had a reason to do it. But he did tell one or two fibs as a boy, and his father always knew when he wasn't being truthful. It seems Eames also possesses that gift because he looking at Arthur as though he's unconvinced. 

 

Eames says something rapidly, at the same pace he used to tell the story, and Arthur gazes at him anxiously because he knows this is a test. The alpha has just asked him something, and if he can't understand him now, there's no way he could have kept up with the story. He deflates and shakes his head sadly. "I…" Arthur tries to explain, but he can't find the words, so he points to his ear and shakes his head again.

 

The alpha sighs, but doesn't look angry. Instead, he walks over to Arthur and lays down beside him. He's relieved when his mate rests behind him and loosely loops his arm around his waist. Eames wouldn't touch him if he was angry.

 

"Tomorrow, I show you," he says.

 

***

 

When he awakes, Eames is already dressed and waiting at the hut entrance. "Come," he says simply, and Arthur scowls at him in response. It's so early, and lately he doesn't rise until the sun is high in the sky. Even Atak is still asleep, his paws twitching as he dreams. But he obliges because Eames is his mate, and also because he still feels guilty for lying last night.

 

The alpha walks slowly, mindful that Arthur can't move quickly these days, and leads him to one of the empty caves where the tribe keeps supplies, and Eames works on some of his larger murals. He stops before a bare spot, picks up a lump of clay, and starts drawing.

 

There's a flat rock that, thankfully, isn't located too close to the ground and Arthur sits on its edge. He figures he should get comfortable considering sometimes Eames loses himself in his drawings and paintings for hours. The omega rests his hands on his swollen stomach, gently rubbing the swell.

 

The next time he looks up, he notices Eames has sketched a rather elaborate portrait of a young man with wide, dark eyes. Arthur smiles brightly when Eames looks at him. "Me?" he asks.

 

Eames smiles widely in response and nods, clearly pleased Arthur immediately understood the image. The alpha resumes working, and now Arthur watches, enraptured, as a scene unfolds on the cave wall. Arthur realizes Eames is recreating his story from last night in picture form. He picked up on enough words throughout the tale to recognize them when they come to life in the clay sketches. 

 

It's a story about two people: Arthur, and the other figure must be Eames because the alpha exaggerates his stature (taller, lots of muscles) in the way he always does when he draws himself. Little Eames always gives Little Arthur flowers and fruit, and they're happy because Eames draws them with wide smiles. But then a dangerous tribe moves onto their land, and threatens their safety. Arthur frowns as he watches Eames draw the dark hordes on the horizon, advancing on their peaceful area.

 

There's a great battle where Eames and their tribe take on the invaders, and Arthur even fights too, and in the end, they're victorious. Little Eames finds some wild flowers and presents them to Little Arthur, and suddenly he understands the alpha's gesture last night, when he handed Arthur the flower at the end of the tale.

 

He makes a sound of realization, and Eames turns around to smile at him. "See?" he asks, pointing up at the mural.

 

"Yes," Arthur says, nodding, and then grins teasingly. "Eames brave."

 

"Eames brave for Arthur," the alpha amends quietly while he finishes the drawing. He draws an epilogue to the story with Arthur and Eames standing in front of their tribe, and Arthur is holding a little person that must be their baby, and Eames even draws Atak sitting at his feet. "Family," Eames says, pointing at the image, and for the first time ever, Arthur has a word for what they are, and not only that, but for where he comes from. 

 

Arthur had a family once, and then he didn't, but now he has _family_ again. 

 

***

 

Arthur goes into labor when Eames is out hunting with the other alphas. He awakes in a pool of moisture, and immediately a terrible pain radiates from his stomach. It hurts so much he can't scream for help, but Atak knows something is wrong. He sniffs at Arthur's face and whimpers fearfully, but eventually he runs outside and barks to attract attention. 

 

Moments later, Ariadne pokes her head into the hut. "Arthur?" she asks, and her eyes widen when she sees him writhing on the pelts. She disappears outside again and shouts for help, and specifically he hears her call for Mal.

 

Seconds later, both women invade the tent, Mal carrying a bowl of water and Ariadne holding some rags. "Back," Ariadne commands when she's kneeling before Arthur, and he obeys, rolling onto his back. He grunts unhappily when the beta grabs his loincloth to tug it off, but she swats his hand away when he tries to stop her. "Ariadne help," she explains.

 

Arthur slowly relaxes and nods. "Eames?" he asks hopefully, and Ariadne frowns when she looks at Mal.

 

"Back soon," the other omega tells him encouragingly, but he knows that's a lie, and there's no way she could possibly know when the alphas will return.

 

Another wave of agony washes over him, and Arthur cries out, every muscle in his body seizing up in objection. He pinches his eyes closed, and his jaw locks before he feels Ariadne force her hand into his own so he can squeeze her fingers, which he does, and it must hurt, but the beta never indicates she's in pain.

 

This time, when the beta pushes his legs open, Arthur allows it. He'll do anything if it makes the pain stop. Ariadne peaks between his legs and smiles tightly, "Soon," she says, which is another lie.

 

***

 

The pain lasts for hours, and worse, the spikes of agony seem to be happening more regularly. Mal carefully pours water into his mouth so he can stay hydrated, but he can't eat, and he wants Eames to come home so badly that he begins to cry, and most absurdly, asks for the alpha even though he knows he's somewhere far away.

 

Arthur doesn't want to die, and he's beginning to fear that is his fate. And if that is his destiny, he doesn't want to fall asleep forever without his mate at his side.

 

"Eames," he begs again and Mal makes a soft, soothing noise with her mouth that reminds him of his mother, and how she used to comfort him when he was sick or sulking. The omega sits beside him and runs her fingers through his hair, and wipes away the tears smearing his cheeks.

 

For the first time ever, he's grateful for their presence. Without Ariadne and Mal, he really would be alone. Well, he'd have Atak, but the dog is currently whimpering in the corner whenever Arthur shouts in pain, so he's not much help.

 

The sun is low in the sky when Mal and Ariadne apparently know that something serious is going on because they both kneel in front of his spread legs and examine him closely. "Soon," Ariadne says again, but this times she's smiling excitedly, and Arthur thinks she may actually mean it.

 

Just then, a cacophony of voices emanates from outside the hut and Arthur perks up instantly. "Eames?" he asks again, right before the flaps to the hut fly open and the alpha appears.

 

He's so overjoyed that he starts crying again and shouts Eames' name. The alpha's expression is a mix of shock and horror when he realizes what's happening and he immediately drops his spear and rushes forward. "Arthur," he murmurs, kneeling beside the omega and touching his brow and cheeks to look at him. 

 

The alpha looks to the women and says a string of words rapidly. They respond in kind, and Arthur drops his head back agains the pelts. Somehow, he knows everything will be okay—that these people will take care of him because they're his family, and Eames would never let harm come to him.

 

As it turns out, Ariadne was being truthful, and soon the pain somehow ratchets up again. Arthur screams in agony, clutching Eames' hand, and the alpha strokes his brow, while he coos soothing things. The women are touching him between his legs, and Arthur should be humiliated and angry, but instead he feels grateful. These people seem to understand what's happening, and how to deliver a baby.

 

Arthur has been on his own for so long that he doesn't really remember how to trust other people, but he has no choice right now. 

 

Eames grips his hands, keeping him pinned in place, and Arthur's voice tears through the hut again. The women gasp and rush to grab the bowl of water and rags and Arthur doesn't know why until he hears it.

 

A cry. A _baby_ crying. 

 

Arthur's eyes are huge when he looks down and sees a tiny, squirming creature covered in blood and mucus in Mal's hands. Ariadne dips the rags in the water and washes the baby before fetching a sharp blade.

 

Arthur tenses and tries to reach for the baby, but Eames holds him down, and he understands why a couple seconds later when the beta severs the baby's umbilical cord. He relaxes afterwards, once he knows the women don't mean to harm the baby. They're helping, just as they've always helped Arthur since he first arrived with Eames.

 

"So beautiful," Mal says, smiling up at Arthur before resuming her work of wrapping the pup in pelt. "Beautiful boy," she amends when she delivers the baby to Eames, who cradles the newborn like he's made of glass. 

 

Arthur is exhausted, and so he watches quietly for a few moments as Eames gazes at the baby and gently runs his fingertips along the pup's cheek. The omega can't help but smile tiredly when Eames looks at him, beaming. "Our boy," he says, and Arthur tries to offer him another smile, but his eyelids feel heavy.

 

He's dimly aware that Ariadne is cleaning him with water, but he's too fatigued to feel shame, so he simply allows it until the beta is done and covers him again. 

 

The baby has stopped crying, and Atak is quiet, but his head cocks as he looks at the tiny bundle in Eames' arms, as though he doesn't quite know what to make of the new addition to their family.

 

Arthur is practically asleep by the time Mal and Ariadne slip out of the hut, and Eames lays down beside him with the baby resting against his chest. His face turned to the side, Arthur finally gets to see the baby up close. He's so tiny, and he has dark hair like Arthur, but full lips like Eames. He's resting facedown on Eames' chest, his chubby cheek pressed to the alpha's bare skin.

 

"Hello," Arthur says softly, and Eames leans over carefully to kiss the omega's forehead.

 

He's asleep soon after that, secure in the knowledge that Eames will protect him and the baby, and Atak is nearby, and outside there is Mal, Ariadne, and Cobb. Maybe these people aren't colourful, useless birds, and perhaps there is reason behind their madness, despite their annoying chatter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell comes to the mountain.

The baby is hungry all the time, and Arthur spends most of his days propped up against a heap of pelts, letting the pup nurse at his breasts. He has to eat more food than he's used to in order to produce enough milk, but the omega makes himself to do it because he doesn't want their baby to nurse from another omega. It's custom in Eames' tribe that babies are raised communally, and that includes sharing nursing duties, but the idea unsettles Arthur.

 

Eames brings him bowls of food, and Arthur remains immobile much of the time, letting the baby feed. And the baby wants to feed _all_ the time. 

 

"Like you," he comments one day, frowning down at the little greedy thing. Eames has a legendary appetite (mostly for food,) and it appears as though his son is following in his footsteps. 

 

Eames smiles happily, like he's just paid the alpha a grand compliment. "Good. Big. Strong," he comments, gazing fondly at the pup.

 

Atak has slowly warmed to the idea that the baby will be staying with them permanently. Arthur was initially concerned the wolf would be too rough with their son, but thus far, the beast has approached slowly a few times, and even then stayed around only a few second to gently sniff the baby's head before retreating to his corner.

 

"Egino," the alpha says suddenly one day, and Arthur stares blankly at him, until his mate nods at the baby and repeats: "Egino."

 

Arthur wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. He doesn't know what an Egino looks like, but their baby definitely isn't one.

 

Eames smirks. "Gallus?" 

 

He must pull another face because the alpha rolls his eyes and sighs exaggeratedly. Eames sits with his legs crossed and fiddles with his spear, repairing the tip. He's quietly thoughtful for a few moments before he looks up again. "Thales?"

 

Arthur tilts his head a bit and repeats the name back to Eames thoughtfully. It rolls off his tongue easily, and it sounds pretty to his ears. "What mean?" he asks curiously.

 

Eames smiles. "Blossom," he says, which is a word Arthur doesn't know.

 

He furrows his brows and stares at the alpha, annoyed, until Eames mimes a flower blossoming with his hand. The pantomime is enough for Arthur to get the gist of what he means, and the omega nods. "Thales," he replies, and it's settled.

 

The baby will be called Thales.

 

***

 

The whole tribe wants to see the baby, which actually proves to be somewhat of a blessing because there are always lots of people to watch Thales so Arthur can go for walks, stretch, and work on getting his form back.

 

Mal has lots of advice for how to shed the baby weight, and Arthur adheres to her schedule so he soon looks as he did before the pregnancy. 

 

Thales is much cuter after a while—less alien in appearance, with a full head of dark hair and thick rosy lips. He's a curious, active baby, and he always kicks off his pelts so that Arthur has to wrap him tightly again. His wide, bright eyes gaze around the hut, taking every in, but he absolutely lights up whenever he sees Eames. The alpha makes faces at the baby, and Thales squeals in response—a high-pitched sound that makes Atak's ears stand straight up.

 

Eames is already unreasonably proud of the boy, and constantly brags to the other alphas about how strong he is, which is ridiculous, of course. Thales can't even hold up his head yet, but Arthur decides to let Eames exaggerate and boast because the hyperbole comes from a place of love. 

 

For many weeks, the tribe's attention is focused on the birth of Thales. The arrival of a new baby is always a joyous occasion, but Eames' tribe _really_ goes overboard. All the alphas bring gifts of food and toys they've carved out of wood, and the omegas flock to the hut to pet the baby's little head and coo when he looks up and smiles. Arthur is nervous at first to let so many people touch the baby, but soon he learns to relax and just let it happen.

 

None of these people mean Thales any harm.

 

The first time Cobb bends down to wave at the baby, Thales bursts into tears, and Cobb feels so guilty he nearly darts from the hut. But Arthur eventually calms down the baby, and Eames gently cajoles the other alpha into saying hello again, and this time, things goes much more smoothly. Thales sniffles and makes a soft sound of concern, but then he settles, and stares back at Cobb curiously.

 

They're friends after that.

 

Every night, they build a big fire, and there's lots of singing and dancing _for weeks_ , and Eames explains to Arthur it's in celebration of the baby. Arthur wants to say that Thales hasn't really done anything worth celebrating yet, except fall out of Arthur, but part of him understands why the tribe is elated: a baby means survival—a continuation of their legacy.

 

A baby means hope.

 

***

 

Their family falls into a routine. The baby wakes him up every few hours, and Arthur nurses him, and if he still fusses after he's hungry, Eames takes his son and rocks him until he falls asleep. On a couple occasions, Arthur and Eames are so exhausted they sleep through the baby's cries, and Atak walks over to them, prodding their faces with his wet nose, until one of them wakes and tends to the baby.

 

When the baby is a little bigger, Mal brings him a long strip of cloth and shows him how to wrap it around his chest so that he can carry Thales in a sling. With this simple invention, Arthur is much more mobile, and can take his son with him when he goes to spend time with Mal and Ariadne. Thales loves the sling because he feels safe and warm inside it, and he spends much of his days passed out against Arthur's chest.

 

His son is a true alpha through and through, and other than his father, seems to prefer the company of omegas. He smiles widely whenever Mal sticks her head close to Arthur's chest and whispers excitedly at the baby, telling him how handsome he is. 

 

Thales basks in the attention.

 

Arthur is so overcome with domestic bliss that he quickly forgets there is a world beyond the limits of their tribe. He's provided with a terrible reminder of this reality a month after Thales' birth when Eames shakes him awake in the middle of the night.

 

" _Arthur_ ," the alpha growls urgently, and the omega sits upright at once.

 

His gaze is still bleary, but he can see Eames is dressed in a pelt and clutching his spear, and when Arthur hears shouts from the outside, he whimpers in distress. Eames grips his biceps and holds him in place so he can look Arthur in the eyes. "Take Thales to Mal," he instructs.

 

Arthur furrows his brow, confused, but then shakes his head. "No. You—"

 

"Thales to Mal," Eames commands, raising his voice.

 

Everything is happening so fast, and Arthur doesn't fully understand what's actually going on, but he takes a moment to look around the hut. Atak is gone, and he realizes Thales is awake, squirming on the ground, and crying. Thankfully, Arthur remained dressed in his loincloth last night, so he doesn't have to dress, and instead frees himself from Eames' grasp and crawls over to the baby so he can pick him up.

 

Outside, the shouts grow louder, and now Arthur hears Atak barking at whoever is out there—another tribe, from the sound of it. Reality begins to sink in. Eames is going outside to fight the invading horde, and he might die. This might be the last time Arthur sees him.

 

"No," he says, grabbing the alpha's wrist, while using his free arm to cradle Thales.

 

All the noise and jostling has upset the baby, and their son shrieks at Arthur's side. But Arthur is looking at Eames, his gaze obstructed by tears. He doesn't want this to be their last moments together.

 

Arthur can see a bright orange glow through the pelts. Something is on fire outside. A woman screams just outside their hut.

 

"Now!" Eames shouts, hauling Arthur to his feet. 

 

There is no time for sentimentality, or saying goodbye. Arthur realizes there are now only two choices: survival or death. He clutches Thales to his chest and races out of the hut, and is almost immediately speared by one of the invading alphas. But before the sharp blade can imbed in his chest, Atak leaps up and sinks his teeth into the man's forearm.

 

The alpha howls in agony, and Arthur doesn't stick around to see what happens next. He sprints past the fallen warrior, and runs towards Mal's cave. Several huts are on fire, and thick black clouds billow over the camp, making navigation almost impossible. Arthur operates on sense memory alone, counting his steps, and then groping at the wall of rock, as he balances Thales against his chest with one hand.

 

The baby is screaming, giving away their location to the enemy, and Arthur knows if anyone hears Thales, they're both dead.

 

He's unarmed, but Mal won't be. He needs to find Mal.

 

Finally, the rock disappears, and Arthur slips into the cave. He knows immediately that this is the correct inlet, judging by the markings on the walls. "Mal!" he shouts, blinking his eyes rapidly to focus them again. When he looks down, Thales stares up at him, red-faced, cheeks smeared with tears, breathing unevenly as he gasps for breath. He may have inhaled some of the soot outside.

 

"Arthur!" someone cries from the back of the cave. 

 

He races to the back and discovers Ariadne and Mal crouched behind a large boulder. Arthur joins them, and desperately tries to sooth Thales so the baby will stop crying.

 

Ariadne is clutching a spear and Mal has a small blade. 

 

If both of the women are hiding, the situation must be dire. In all likelihood, they are greatly outnumbered, and the enemy tribe has begun to kidnap omegas and some of the stronger alphas to take back to their camp as slaves. Arthur might not be very worldly, but he's heard stories about brutal tribes that conquer their neighbors, raze homes to the ground—murdering and raping their ways through the mountains.

 

Arthur thinks about the woman who screamed outside their hut and shivers. He wonders what happened to her.

 

Mal is pale, but her fingers are somehow even whiter as they clutch the handle of the blade. Cobb is no where to be seen. They must have become separated just as he lost track of Eames. Despite her frenzied state, when the other omega looks back at him, she offers him a small, comforting smile. "Over soon," she whispers, and Arthur knows she's right either way: the other tribe will leave them be, or they'll die fighting, because Arthur will never let himself, or his son, live as slaves.

 

***

 

The fighting lasts for hours.

 

At one point, an alpha does enter the cave to search its perimeter, but when he walks too close to the boulder, Ariadne runs her spear through his calf. Before he screams, she pulls out the blade, and plunges it into his trachea, killing the man instantly.

 

He crumples to the ground, and Ariadne and Mal pull him out of sight, propping him against the cave wall behind the boulder.

 

When it grows very quiet outside, Ariadne tells them to wait, and she ventures outside to see what is going on. She returns a couple minutes later, her face bleak. "Come," she says softly.

 

The camp is unrecognisable.

 

A veil of smoke still hangs over the precipice, and most of the huts have been burnt to the ground. Arthur, dazed, stands just outside the cave, gazing around slowly. He sees the skeleton of their hut, still smoking, and watches as one of the walls collapses. 

 

Everything is gone, including the people. Eames is gone—dead, or taken prisoner by the enemy tribe.

 

A gust of wind comes down from the mountain and temporarily pushes aside the smoke, which is when Arthur sees a man crumpled on the ground a few yards from where he's standing. The figure is covered in soot, but he can just make out the blond head. Arthur opens his mouth to say something, but Mal beats him to it when she cries out and sprints toward the man.

 

"Cobb!" she shouts, collapsing to her knees beside him. The omega gently cradles his head, peering down at his face.

 

It's then that Arthur has the terrible realization that James and Phillipa are no where to be found. They must have been with Cobb. He must have been trying to get them to safety when the tribe struck. They're with Eames now—status unknown.

 

Slowly, the alpha stirs, and when Arthur sees that, he hurries forward. Maybe Cobb will have some information about what happened to the children—about what happened to Eames.

 

"My love," he hears Mal say to the alpha as she strokes his dirty cheeks.

 

Cobb is hurt, and when Arthur looks down, he sees a bloody wound on the man's side. Most likely, he's been stabbed, but they should be able to fix the wound. "Where Eames?" he asks immediately, perhaps a little indelicately considering their children are missing, and Cobb has been stabbed, but there really isn't any time to waste.

 

" _Arthur_ ," Mal chastises, frowning up at him.

 

And fair enough—maybe interrogating her wounded mate is a bit uncouth, but Arthur doesn't care. He needs to know what happened to Eames.

 

"Where Eames?" he repeats, and Cobb's eyes roll a bit in his head, but he's able to focus his gaze eventually and peer up at Arthur.

 

"Tribe took him," the alpha rasps.

 

Arthur's throat goes dry. So there it is: his worst fears confirmed. Eames is in the hands of the enemy. Arthur reaches up and quickly begins to untie the sling from his chest. When the fabric comes free, he wraps Thales tightly, and holds out the baby to Mal. "Take," he commands, and his eyes must be a little wild because Mal frowns at him with open concern.

 

" _Take_ ," he grunts again. He has to go get Eames. He has to start running on foot now, or he'll lose their scent.

 

"Arthur, no," Mal says softly, and she has the nerve to look at him with something like pity in her eyes.

 

Maybe the plan is a bit mad—one lone omega taking off after an entire army of alphas—but he can't allow Eames to disappear without a fight.

 

"Wait," Cobb says from beneath them, and Mal and Arthur look down at him. "Mal fix wound," Cobb rasps, his dry lips caked with blood. "I go with you."

 

Arthur furrows his brow, but eventually nods slowly. That makes more sense. At least it will be one more body to help him. The omega cradles Thales to his chest and rocks him gently. Two spears are better than one, he tells himself.

 

"I go too," a voice calls from behind him, and when he turns around, Ariadne is standing there, spear in hand—ready to go on command.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur impatiently hovers over Mal's shoulder as she sets about stitching up Cobb's wound. Thales is fussing against his chest, and Arthur responds by lightly rubbing and patting his back. Finally, Mal sighs in frustration, and looks up at him. "Go," she instructs and points to the cave.

 

He glares at the other omega, and opens his mouth to speak, but Cobb intervenes: "We go soon," he explains, and Arthur is blindsided by guilt when he looks down and sees Cobb offer him a weak, but supportive, smile.

 

Arthur is aware he's being mildly unreasonable, but he can't help it. Eames is out there somewhere, in serious trouble, and they're wasting too much time here. But he's also aware badgering Mal isn't the way to expedite the process, so he nods a little, and goes back into the cave to wait.

 

While he's there, the omega breastfeeds Thales, who calms down as soon as he begins to suckle. Arthur sits on a rock and lets the baby relax for a while, stroking his dark hair tenderly. He wishes he had the vocabulary, and Thales the comprehension skills, to explain that he's going to look for Eames and they'll be reunited soon. But he doesn't. Instead, he murmurs softly: "See Eames soon."

 

Thales' eyes are almost closed as he suckles happily, and Arthur comforts himself by believing his son is soothed by the words, even though he can't possibly understand them.

 

When the baby is full, Arthur drapes him carefully over his shoulder and pats his back gently until Thales burps (impressively loudly). "Good?" Arthur asks, looking at his face, and wiping some spittle off is chin. Thales' eyes are bright, but his face is no longer flushed, and he looks perky again. Arthur looks at him for a long time, and gradually the danger of the quest he's about to embark on sinks in. 

 

Thales is totally helpless, Arthur is all he has in the world, and he's about to chase a group of dangerous alphas through the wilderness. For the first time, Arthur considers staying at the camp and protecting Thales. But then he immediately dismisses the idea. He cannot allow himself to be weak like that, or consider any alternative but a victory in which he defeats his enemies and rescues Eames and the rest of the tribe.

 

He'll only be away from Thales for a little while. He's sure of it.

 

At least, that's what he keeps repeating to himself.

 

But he does kiss the baby's face a bit more than usual in the meantime.

 

***

 

Mal fetches him when she's done helping Cobb, and Arthur gingerly (and hesitantly) lowers Thales into her arms. 

 

"Safe?" he asks, an inquiry into whether Mal will be okay on her own at the camp until they return.

 

The other omega looks unconcerned as she rocks the baby slightly, and she answers affirmatively: "Safe."

 

Arthur nods, but he frowns as he gazes at Thales' face. The baby is sound asleep, and not for the first time, he's struck by what a perfect little person he and Eames have managed to make. 

 

Mal interrupts his thoughts: "Arthur, safe," she repeats softly. The other omega must read his mind, because even though Mal was annoyed with him earlier, she looks sympathetic when they lock gazes again. Mal knows what it's like to have to be separated from one's children. She takes a sharp breath and adds: "James…Phillipa…"

 

"Arthur find," he promises quickly, returning the courtesy of flashing a comforting little smile, even though he doesn't really feel that confident inside.

 

What they're about to embark on is nothing short of a suicide mission, but it's their only option: the three of them against thirty…forty…maybe even more members of the enemy tribe. But Arthur clings to the hope that, if they're able to kill a handful of the tribe, it will send the whole camp into chaos, and give their people a chance to fight back.

 

Arthur knows his mate is a strong alpha. If he gives Eames a window—even a small one—the alpha will destroy anyone within arm's reach.

 

He quickly turns away from Mal and Thales and exits the cave. Arthur is careful not to look back. If he looks back and sees Thales, he'll lose his nerve and rush back to care for the child.

 

They have to leave _now_.

 

Luckily, Cobb and Ariadne are already standing by the edge of the precipice, nearby where the ground begins its descension along the path that leads down the mountain. They're both holding spears, and Cobb has a bag made of hide slung over his shoulder, on his good side. 

 

This is the first time Arthur will walk down from the mountain, and he's spent so long at the camp that he's seized by fear. He's so used to Eames being at his side, and going anywhere without him feels strange and disorienting.

 

But Arthur doesn't express his reservations. He simply starts walking down the path, and judging by the scuffling sounds behind him, Ariadne and Cobb are quick to follow. 

 

It becomes clear immediately that Cobb is badly wounded, even though he's no longer gushing blood, and he can't move quickly. Arthur is forced to slow his gait, and at first, he huffs in annoyance. But about an hour into their journey, Arthur begins to feel slightly light-headed. It's probably from the change in elevation, but he also just had a baby, and burns thousands of calories a day breastfeeding.

 

When he wobbles on his feet, it's Cobb, embarrassingly, who ends up steadying him.

 

"Sick?" the alpha asks, and Arthur shakes his head stubbornly.

 

"We go," he spits, but when he takes another step, he collapses entirely, although Cobb manages to catch him at the last second so he doesn't faceplate on the ground.

 

The scent of the enemy alphas still hangs on the air. Their pheromones were thick from excitement during the invasion, so tracking them should be fairly easy, but only if they act quickly. It's because of this reality that Arthur doesn't want to slow down, and he certainly doesn't want to sit when Ariadne insists, and he definitely doesn't want to waste time on Cobb foraging for berries for him to eat.

 

However, Arthur doesn't have a choice in the matter, and if he's honest with himself, he'd admit that there was no way he was going to make the full trek on an empty stomach anyway.

 

As he sits and waits, he replays the last time he saw Eames in his head. Even though he'd awoken to total chaos, Arthur wishes he'd taken a moment to really memorise the alpha's face, and how his eyes looked— _look_ , Arthur corrects himself angrily. 

 

Eames is still alive, he reminds himself. He has to believe that or he's never going to be able to survive this journey.

 

Cobb returns shortly with handfuls of berries that he delivers to Arthur, who eats them as quickly as possible so they can start walking again. When they leave, Arthur has to admit he feels much better. He's no longer dizzy, and there's a bit more pep in his step. 

 

They track the alphas for miles, and when the scent grows thick in the air, Arthur turns to Ariadne and Cobb and places his finger over his lips to indicate they need to be extra quiet now because they're nearing the camp. Thankfully, both Ariadne and Cobb are much more skilled at tracking than Eames, and they know how to walk on quiet feet through the forrest. 

 

Arthur scales a tree and peers out at the forrest bed, and he quickly spots a small cluster of huts by a huge cave. There aren't as many huts as he thought there would be, considering the destruction wrought by the alphas that attacked their camp, but there's no way of knowing how many people are resting inside the cave. Arthur wonders if Eames is in there too, and all kinds of horrible images flood his brain of his mate being badly injured.

 

He climbs down from the tree and whispers to Cobb and Ariadne: "Camp there," gesturing in the general direction of the huts.

 

Cobb squints and nods thoughtfully. Then he crouches down and carefully pushes the brush aside so he can reach the dirt ground. He plucks a stick from the earth and begins to draw an image in the dirt. 

 

Arthur's immediate thought is that Cobb is no where near the skilled artist Eames is, but then he focuses on the image and realizes Cobb is drawing an attack plan. He's suggesting Ariadne—at least, he's assuming it's Ariadne, judging by the long hair—circle the camp so she's on the opposite side. Cobb will attack from their current position, and Arthur…Arthur apparently is supposed to sit in a tree and keep lookout.

 

"No," he hisses immediately, just barely stopping himself from kicking angrily at the image.

 

There's no way he's going to passively hang out while his mate is being held captive.

 

Cobb stands up and sighs, looking down at him patiently, though a deep frown carves his face. "Arthur…" he begins gently, in the same way he carefully corrects the omega when he uses the wrong word during their language lessons. "You…." he begins, but ironically his tutor can't find the words, and instead he gestures clumsily to Arthur's small breasts. 

 

Arthur quirks a brow at him, and when he looks past him to Ariadne, the beta quickly looks away—clearly wanting no part in this fight.

 

It's very clear to him what Cobb is trying to say: he's an omega, and if he rushes into the camp, the alphas will attack him—they might even try to rape and kill him—but these are all possibilities Arthur already considered before they left. 

 

"No," Arthur says again, making sure he clearly enunciates the word so there's no confusion.

 

Cobb looks a little surprised that an omega is speaking back to him, but he also doesn't really look like he knows how to handle the response either. Arthur seizes the opportunity to crouch down and erase the little stick figure in the tree, and redraws it as a third flank directly in front of the cave. Essentially, Arthur has penned himself in at the most dangerous angle—charging the cave head on.

 

The alpha still looks like this is the worst plan in the history of the world, but he doesn't try to tell Arthur no again. Instead, he crouches, and opens the hide bag to reveal an array of small weapons. He hands each of them two hand blades, and smaller blades to use in a pinch. When Cobb tries to hand him a spear, Arthur shakes his head. He's going to charge into a group of alphas, and in close quarters, short blades are better than a long, awkward pole.

 

Arthur moves to walk further into the woods, closer to the huts, but Ariadne grabs his wrist suddenly. "Wait," she whispers, and Arthur is about to give her the same treatment Cobb just received, but the beta quickly clarifies. "Wait for dark," she explains, pointing at the sky.

 

It's not a bad idea. Under the cover of dark, they'll have the element of surprise, and maybe such a tactic will add a degree of confusion, which might also play out to their benefit.

 

"Ariadne first," she adds, and Arthur furrows his brow.

 

He's heard tales of Ariadne's abilities as a hunter, but the woman is slightly built, and it's hard to imagine her spilling first blood among a group of impressively built alphas. When Arthur glances at Cobb, the alpha nods slowly. "Ariadne quiet," he concedes, and points at her small feet for emphasis. 

 

Arthur nods and looks back at the beta. "Ariadne first," he agrees.

 

After all, since he doesn't like Cobb telling him how to fight, he's not about to inflict the same treatment on Ariadne.

 

***

 

The enemy tribe builds a fire at night, which is a good thing because otherwise they'd have to charge the camp in total darkness. Many shadows still blanket the area, though, so Ariadne will still be able to use the cover of night.

 

Arthur climbs the same tree so he can monitor what is happening. They have agreed to give Ariadne three opportunities to pass through the camp, and inflict as much damage as possible, before Cobb and Arthur will charge forward in the first wave of the general attack.

 

His gaze is fixated on the dark, far perimeter of the camp—where the bare ground meets the forrest. Somewhere, Ariadne is there, crouching, waiting for the right time to strike. The alphas are gathered by the fire, but Arthur has already carefully examined each face, and Eames is no where to be found. In fact, none of his tribe are among the faces, which means his people are being held inside the cave—probably cold and hungry.

 

Suddenly, a dark shadow moves from the woods and darts past the cave before disappearing into the other side of the forrest, where Cobb is hiding. Arthur watches the alphas by the fire. None of them seem to have noticed the disturbance, but a few seconds later, a shout emanates from the cave, and some of the alphas jump up and run towards the noise.

 

More shouting follows, and Arthur sees the alphas drag out two bodies from the cave—guards, probably, the ones charged with watching the prisoners. Though he's too far away to know for sure, it looks as though both their necks have been cut wide open.

 

Impressive.

 

Now, they've lost the element of surprise. The alphas know something is amiss, and they quickly arm themselves with spears and set out to check the perimeter of the woods. 

 

But Ariadne has only had one pass so far. 

 

Arthur isn't sure what he should do. On the one hand, he and Cobb agreed to give her _three_ passes, but on the other hand, he can't imagine how the beta will be able to run back through the camp without being detected, now that the alphas know there's an enemy in their midst. 

 

Just when he's made up his mind to scrap the plan, climb down the tree, and charge towards the camp, the shadow moves on the perimeter of the woods again. Arthur watches with wide eyes as Ariadne runs through the camp, but she has chosen a good time when only two alphas are in front of the cave. By the time they realize what's happening, it's too late. Ariadne slices one of the alpha's throats, and ducks low when the other warrior tries to counter, so she can cut his thigh deeply. 

 

Before the alpha hits the ground and starts screaming, Ariadne has disappeared into the woods again.

 

_Two passes. Four alphas down._

 

Arthur takes a head count. It appears he previously overestimated the enemy tribe's manpower. What he thought was thirty or forty alphas turns out to be twenty, but they must be skilled warriors if they were able to take out all of his family's alphas. Of those twenty, four are decapacitated or dead, so that leaves sixteen alphas to eliminate. 

 

Ariadne waits longer this time. 

 

The camp is now in utter chaos. Alphas run back and forth, screaming orders at one another without any clear leadership hierarchy. That's the dangerous part of a tribe full of alphas—they're all too bullheaded to shut up and obey orders. They may be great at conquering and pillaging, but they're terrible at working cooperatively to combat a counterattack. 

 

A large cluster of alphas stands in the center of camp in a protective circle. It's a good plan—one forged to dissuade an attack—which is exactly why they don't expect it when tiny Ariadne comes running out, a blade in each hand, and takes out three of them.

 

This time, an alpha at least throws a spear after her, but it misses Ariadne entirely and lands in the grass.

 

She disappears into the dark forrest again.

 

Thirteen. Thirteen alphas stand between Arthur and Eames now.

 

What first seemed like an insurmountable task now seems within his grasp. Bolstered by Ariadne's fierce spirit, Arthur quickly descends the tree, and fishes his blades from the waist of his loincloth.

 

Arthur takes a step forward, but immediately freezes in his track.

 

Behind him, a beast snarls in the darkness. Arthur ducks low, spins on his heels, and thrusts the blade into the darkness.

 

But he stops short when he sees Atak hurry towards him.

 

"Atak," he exclaims softly, mindful to keep his voice lowered. 

 

The wolf must have tracked them for miles. He takes a moment to pet the creature, and scratch behind his ears in the way Eames used to. The wolf's tongue lolls out of his mouth as he pants, the corners of his mouth seeming to upturn in a happy smile. But that may be Arthur projecting his own joy of seeing the animal again.

 

He hadn't realized how attached he's become to the beast.

 

"Come," he whispers, and this time he keeps walking quietly towards the forrest's edge.

 

Arthur crouches down and whispers for Atak to sit, and the beast obeys. The alphas are still screaming, running about seemingly without purpose, some of them darting into the woods to search for the culprit. When two of them stray too close to Cobb's position, Arthur sees a shadow spring up, and there's a brief tussle before the area grows still again.

 

He instinctively knows those alphas are dead, and Cobb has successfully reduced the number to eleven.

 

Atak's ears flatten to his head and he snarls. Arthur gently pats his head, but then grips his two short blades. He waits for the alphas to clear away from his path from the forrest to the cave, and when he sees his opening, he whispers: "Ready?" to Atak, and a second later: "Go!"

 

Arthur runs as fast as he can, cutting a direct path through the middle of the camp. He's able to surprise one of the alphas, who he stabs viciously in the stomach, and drops instantly. When another alpha runs up to aid his friend, Atak leaps up and sinks his teeth into the man's throat. 

 

Nine. Nine poor souls, standing between them and their family.

 

A loud cry emanates from the perimeter of the forrest, and Arthur recognizes Cobb's voice—a clarion for him and Ariadne to join Arthur in the attack. He doesn't look back, but instead allows faith to guide him—faith that Ariadne and Cobb will guard him as he searches the cave. 

 

Outside, he hears Cobb roar and Atak barking, but Arthur's focus remains on the inside of the cave where he quickly discovers the men and women from his tribe, bound and gagged. It doesn't appear they are all there, but many of them are, and Arthur begins cutting them loose. He hands two alphas his free blades, and they run outside to join Cobb and Ariadne in battle.

 

With his short blades, Arthur keeps freeing the tribe, and a wide smile breaks across his face when he discovers little Phillipa and James. He frees the children and hugs them quickly. "Mama?" James cries.

 

"Mama home," Arthur replies. "Stay," he instructs as he continues searching, deeper into the cave where it's dark and difficult to see.

 

Arthur nearly trips over Eames when he finds him.

 

The alpha is slumped on his side, and Arthur's hands shake as he cuts his mate's bindings. The enemy tribe bound Eames much more securely than the other alphas, and he's irrationally filled with pride when he imagines the fight Eames must have put up to earn such treatment. He can hear the alpha breathing, but Arthur can't tell how badly he's injured, so he hooks under Eames' arms, and drags him closer to the outside.

 

"Eames," he gasps when he can see the alpha's face. He's been beaten badly, and there's an egg-shaped lump on the side of his temple, which is probably where the enemy struck him. The alpha's eyes flutter open and Arthur smiles brightly. "Arthur save you," he declares, even though it's a somewhat brash declaration, considering they haven't made it out of the camp alive yet.

 

"Arthur?" Eames rasps, confused.

 

The omega helps him to his feet, and Eames drapes an arm around his shoulders as he leans heavily against Arthur. He seems disoriented, but not gravely injured, and Arthur can't help but imagine the look on Thales' face when he sees his father again.

 

Eames appears to be on the same page, because he murmurs: "Thales?" in a fearful tone.

 

"Home," Arthur quickly explains, and watches an expression of relief wash over his mate's face.

 

Cobb suddenly appears at the cave's mouth, but his gaze fixates on a spot behind Arthur and Eames. "James! Phillipa!" he cries, rushing past them to embrace his children, and Arthur smiles when he hears the chorus of _daddy, daddy!_

 

Outside, the ground is scattered with bodies—all casualties from the enemy tribe. Their people mill about outside, reuniting with one another, hugging and embracing—laughing and shouting victoriously.

 

Arthur can't help but think back to the story Eames told—of a mighty warrior who saves his mate, and successfully defeats an invading horde. It turns out, Eames was extremely prophetic, except he confused who would be doing the saving. 

 

He's mindful not to behave too jovially. After all, they are not the number they were before, and there have been casualties. Arthur's gaze fixates on a few tribe members who weep quietly, and cling to their friends.

 

Eames gradually finds his footing, and no longer needs to lean on Arthur for support. "Atak!" he shouts in surprise when he spots the wolf.

 

Arthur smiles when Atak gallops forward and jumps up to rest his front paws on the alpha's broad chest. Eames laughs and allows the beast to lick his face before he ruffles the fur at the back of his neck.

 

Eames' face is smeared with blood and dirt, but he's still beautiful when he smiles and looks at Arthur. "Atak protect," Arthur says simply in explanation, echoing Eames' own words.

 

***

 

The tribe slowly walks back to the mountain, and Arthur is at the front so he can hurry to Mal's cave upon their return. 

 

The other omega is waiting at the mouth of the cave for them, Thales cradled protectively in her arms. Arthur bursts out crying when he sees the baby—not because he thought Mal would have been negligent in their absence, but because the idea that their little family unit would ever be reunited seemed so far fetched just a handful of hours ago.

 

But here they are: Thales pressed to his chest, Eames with his arms around both of them as he kisses the baby's head tenderly, and he's whispering too quickly for Arthur to understand, but he hears two words over and over: _my love, my love._

 

***

 

They sleep as a tribe in the biggest cave that night—partly because all of their huts are gone, but also because they have survived a traumatic ordeal, and there is comfort in numbers. 

 

Tomorrow, they will rebuild, but for now, they rest.

 

Arthur awakes in the middle of the night, and instinctively checks to make sure Thales is safe. The baby is sound asleep, but Eames is not curled up in the spot he was early in the evening. The omega climbs to his feet, and quietly walks deeper in the cave where he finds Eames drawing on the wall.

 

Arthur gently touches the alpha's shoulder, and Eames smiles when he sees him. "Look," he whispers, mindful not to wake the others.

 

Eames has drawn the Little Eames and Little Arthur again, but this time they're standing at the edge of the mountain's precipice, and the stars are huge and immeasurable above their heads. It could be interpreted as a simple, lovely landscape, but Arthur knows Eames' artwork always has a deeper meaning beyond its literal interpretation.

 

The stars go on forever, and no man has ever counted them in their entirety. They are eternal, just as Arthur and Eames' love knows no limits.

 

That is why Arthur charged into the night, blades drawn, willing to kill any alpha between him and his mate.

 

"Eames loves Arthur," the alpha explains when he's standing very close to Arthur, and his breath is warm on the omega's cheek.

 

Arthur turns towards him so their lips brush. He whispers softly because the words are meant only for his mate: 

 

"Arthur loves Eames."


	7. Lascaux addendum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I posted this Lascaux addendum on tumblr, but figured I should post it here too :D

For eight straight summers, Arthur bears Eames’s cubs, one right after the other. It becomes something of a joke-slash-legend within the tribe that Arthur will forever be pregnant, and he’s annoyed when some of the tribe members start drawing and carving his likeness, always with the bulging pregnancy stomach, even when he isn’t pregnant at the time. He’s secretly angry until Eames explains one day that it’s a compliment. Fertility means survival, and Arthur is the most fertile omega in their tribe. The tribe, Eames explains, views Arthur as something of a demigod—a supernatural creature capable of bearing eternal life.

It’s not true, of course, but it makes Arthur proud, and it energises him through the long summer pregnancies when it’s so hot on the mountain and he rarely leaves their hut. He desperately wishes they had started this pregnancy cycle in the winter when the snow drifts trap them inside anyway. But then again, the reason Arthur endures the bulk of his pregnancy in the summer is because he  _conceives_ in the winter, precisely because he and Eames are bundled together under thick animal pelts and, well, rutting is a pleasant way to pass the time and provide natural body heat.

Because he has fathered eight children, the most of any other alpha in the tribe, Eames has ascended the alpha ranks and is now second only to Cobb, who only has two children, but is still the best hunter in the tribe. The ability to breed is second only to the ability to feed. The other alphas treat Eames with an absurd amount of deference, bowing their heads and shuffling out of his way whenever he saunters across the mountain’s wide bluff, and Arthur rolls his eyes whenever Eames adopts a cocky swagger in his step. He wants to tell the alphas that the ability to mount an omega and rut isn’t nearly as impressive as incubating and carrying life.

Thales is the exact image of Eames, except for his mop of dark hair. He’s a strong boy, possessing endless energy, and Arthur is always chasing after him, telling him not to wander too far from the tribe. He’s stubborn, just like his father, and though he’s only eight, he’s already pushing boundaries and testing the limits of Arthur’s patience. Of course, he plays the perfect saint whenever Eames shows up, worshipfully obeying his alpha father’s every word, and Arthur might resent it if he didn’t find it maddeningly endearing. Thales tries to mimic Eames in every way: posture, gait, the way he holds his spear and gesticulates when he speaks.

Adras and Dolius, his younger brothers, ages seven and six, are the same way. They follow Eames around like little ducklings, lined up according to descending height, observing everything Eames does with wide, worshipful eyes. The younger boys are both blond, but they have Arthur’s features, including the indentations in their cheeks when they smile and laugh. Eames went on and on for ages about their lovely smiles when they both emerged from Arthur’s womb, as if it was the greatest gift from the gods that they just so happened to have Arthur’s mouth.  _Beautiful_ , Eames called Dolius, cradling the baby, and then he called Arthur the same word, over and over until Arthur’s heart swelled and it became too overwhelming, so he kissed Eames to quiet him.

Eames loves his children completely, but for a long time Arthur thought maybe he would only bear him sons until one summer he gave birth to their first girl: Iris. Arthur is of course bias, but he is of the firm belief that she is the most beautiful girl to have ever lived. She is born with Eames’s colouring—fair hair and blue eyes, with his lips, and Arthur’s dimples, and she’s so beautiful that Arthur refuses to let anyone else (other than Eames) hold her for a very long time. Since she is their first daughter, they are ridiculously careful with her, handling the baby as if she’ll shatter if gripped too roughly. Eames calls her his  _little flower_ , and Arthur’s vocabulary has vastly expanded since they first met, so he knows what those words mean, and they make his chest flood with affection.

Iris is indeed their little flower.

Arthur explains early on to the boys that their job is to protect Iris because she is an omega. They determined the children’s rankings early on because starting around age five, children begin to emit distinct pheromones. He knew almost immediately that their boys are all alphas, but Iris smells vastly different—sweeter, more citrusy. She is undoubtedly an omega, and while he trusts the alphas in their tribe, he knows how alphas can get when they are hopped up on testosterone after hunting or killing an enemy tribe. They’ll mount any available omega. 

The boys take their duty gravely seriously, always mindfully watching Iris as she explores the area around their huts. One time, an alpha wandered too close to her because he was concerned she was walking near the precipice’s edge, and Thales mistook his friendly inquiry as a threat, rushed over, and kicked him right in the shin. The assault was enough to make the man howl in pain, which attracted the attention of Atak, who raced from their hut and very nearly tore out the man’s throat. Had Eames not emerged from the hut and quickly calmed down the wolf, the other alpha would surely have been killed.

Eames lectured Thales afterwards, and Arthur permitted it until the alpha left the hut. Then he patted the boy’s head and said, “Good,” offering an approving smile.

What Eames calls over-reacting, Arthur calls being a good older brother.

Demitri comes next—a beautiful little boy, their second omega, and Arthur gives the same speech to the boys when he enters the world. At first, his elder brothers are confused. Shouldn’t Demitri, as a boy, be better equipped to defend himself than Iris against predatory alphas? It’s then that Arthur informs them that the world really isn’t parsed into  _male_ and _female_ , but rather  _alpha_ and  _omega_ , and it matters much more that Demitri is an omega than the fact that he happened to be born with male genitalia. 

Demitri isn’t fond of exploring like the other boys. At least, not in the same way. He and Iris are prone to solitary exploration—sitting alone and quietly observing the world. When he’s not doing that, Demitri is fastened to Arthur’s side, seated beside him for hours as Arthur, Mal, and Ariadne wash linens and weave baskets. Ariadne takes to calling Demitri, “Arthur’s little shadow,” but he doesn’t take offence to the nickname because he knows what she means by it. Demitri was born with dark hair and Arthur’s features. He truly is a piece of Arthur—a miniaturised version.

They now occupy three huts on a higher tier of the cliffs that wind up the entire height of the mountain. Eames’s family gets an entire precipice to themselves because he has the most children and is the second-highest ranked alpha. Thales, Adras, and Dolius live in their own hut, located nearby the other two huts that house Iris and Demitri and Arthur, Eames, and their three youngest, who are too little to be on their own just yet. Arthur initially had deep reservations about allowing two young omegas to live in their own separate hut, but it’s the only living situation that has worked so far. When they tried mixing the alpha and omega siblings, spectacular fights erupted in the middle of the night that required Eames thundering into his children’s huts, threatening murder if they woke the whole tribe. Hence, Iris and Demitri living in their own private hut, though Arthur forces a compromise by insisting Attak also live in their hut as an added layer of protection. The beast might be grey along the muzzle these days, but he’s still fiercely protective of Arthur, Eames, and all their cubs.

Arthur and Eames live in the largest hut with the babies: Kali, Nora, and Theo, who are all too young to be classified yet, but Arthur has a sneaking suspicion Kali is a beta, judging by her accommodating demeanor and even temperament. Nora is just beginning to walk, but she seems oddly independent for a baby, constantly charging towards the entrance of the hut as if in desperate longing for her freedom, so he thinks she might be an alpha. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to know about Theo yet because he’s not very mobile, and other than nursing from Arthur’s breasts, he doesn’t do much other than lay on his back and occasionally explode in happy laughter when he lays eyes on Eames.

It’s strange that Eames, who is legendarily fierce in battle, is also such a sweet, affectionate, gentle father. Arthur loves watching him play with their youngest cubs, affecting a submissive posture as he lays on his back, offering up his belly, as the babies squeal in laughter and climb all over him. With Theo, Eames makes faces at him for hours, leaning over as the baby giggles and kicks his feet, occasionally reaching up to pull at his hair or fingers. 

Seeing what a good father he is heightens his love for his mate, which in turns mean they keep rutting and keep making more cubs. It’s a pleasant cycle, though, even though it ultimately concludes with Arthur being pregnant yet again. Thus far, he carries children fairly easily, even though he grouses about growing huge and being fairly immobile in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Mal comments once that Arthur is lucky the birthing process is fairly easy for him because omegas die in child birth all the time. He knows she’s right. He’s heard the wails from the birthing tents before, when death takes omegas during the last few pushes. And he also knows children die of fever all the time. Many times, they have gathered around the small mounds dug into the earth, and Mal sings a haunting prayer for the newly departed children. 

They are very, very lucky to have never lost any of their children to sickness, war, or to the beasts that live all around them. 

One winter, Thales caught the fever, and Arthur never again wants to experience the agonising sadness he felt when Eames held the hand of his first-born and wept, convinced he would die in his sleep. Arthur prayed endlessly, cutting his hand and spilling his blood into a fire as an offering to the gods, pledging his love, labor, and soul to them if they would spare Thales’s life.

And it worked. Thales’s fever broke in the morning and he recovered fully.

But aside from the various pockets of sadness that all families endure, they are very lucky. Their children are spirited and healthy, and Eames is a wonderful provider, always keeping them stocked with fur pelts and more meat than they can consume. He also insists the children attend Cobb’s language lessons, and Arthur is pleased to discover his cubs are also quite clever because they’re chattering rapidly in no time, just like Eames, and even though Arthur is much more fluent than he was in the past, he has to tell them to slow down all the time when they’re speaking excitedly to him.

"Slower..slower," Arthur can often be heard saying, Eames chuckling fondly as he observes the exchange.

"Cubs smart, like you," Eames says, kissing Arthur’s temple.

***

Some alphas in the tribe take more than one omega as their mate, and in the early days, Arthur worries that Eames will want that same arrangement. He knows he could not bear sharing Eames with another lest he be consumed by jealousy, and he tries to express this to Eames one day in his broken speech. At first, Eames looks at him in confusion until he figures out what Arthur is saying, and then he bursts out laughing and enfolds Arthur in his strong arms. “Never…never,” Eames soothes, kissing his face, and Arthur feels much better after that.

Eames never takes another mate, and he never looks at the younger omegas in a lecherous way.

Arthur is considered an older omega at age twenty-four, and even though he has birthed eight children, he is quite proud that he has maintained his thin figure and is still able to keep up with the other alphas on the rare occasion he is able to hunt with them. And Eames seems to appreciate those facts too because he still pulls Arthur onto his lap when the family is seated around the fire at night, and kisses and nuzzles his mate until the older children retch in objection.

Arthur thinks Eames’s people are prude, and their ways are rubbing off on the children. After all, it is Eames’s people (and they are really  _his people_ now too) who insist on covering their genitalia with pelts and frown on open displays of passion. Arthur doesn’t understand their fear of sex. He lived in a small hut with his family when he was little and his mother and father openly rutted all the time in front of them. Where else were they supposed to have sex? And it never upset Arthur, even though he didn’t really understand sex. He simply rolled over and ignored them until they were done.

But Eames seems to think the children will think he’s hurting Arthur, so they make sure to couple quietly at night, only after they’re sure the babies are asleep. Then he ruts between Arthur’s spread thighs, and Arthur bites the meat of his shoulder to muffle his cries. Arthur looks forward to the children’s language lessons because that is the only time of day they send them off to a different precipice, and Mal and Ariadne volunteer to watch the babies, so they can make passionate love just like they used to—with Arthur wailing loudly and Eames, powerful and unrelenting, displaying his full strength.

He makes sure to never speak ill of Cobb and his language lessons ever again.

***

Eames still makes Arthur beautiful paintings in the caves spotting the mountain, to commemorate important milestones like the children’s, and Arthur’s, birthdays, great game kills, and important strategic victories over enemy tribes. Eames draws Arthur’s figure huge—sometimes eight feet high, always with his pregnant stomach because Eames worships his children, and the fact that Arthur provides them for him.

He unveils his paintings in dramatic fashion, covering Arthur’s eyes and slowly guiding him into the cave before revealing them. And Arthur is always left breathless gazing up at them, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. Sometimes, it’s too much, and tears well up in his eyes, so Eames holds him and Arthur kisses him in thanks.

Eames’s love for his children and mate is clear, and for the most part no one dares to cross the clear demarcation the alpha has drawn around his family.

But sometimes, they suffer fools.

One day, Arthur has to make a rare trip to one of the lower precipices to fill up on water for the family. He’s not pregnant at the time, so he carries down two buckets, and Thales and Adras join him, carrying two buckets each. A perk of having children is that they make Arthur’s normal tedious housework much more manageable because they can lend a hand, and as the two eldest boys, Thales and Adras are frequently recruited to assist. 

There is a small natural stream that runs along the lower precipices, which is where Arthur pauses, and leans over on hands and knees to fill up the buckets while Thales and Adras wander nearby, exploring and occasionally crouching down to try and catch the small frogs that live among the rocks. Arthur is preoccupied, so he doesn’t notice the strange alpha until he’s standing immediately behind him. He scrambles to his feet, but the alpha simply steps closer, an amused glint in his eyes. Arthur is so startled he doesn’t even know what to do or say, so he remains paralyzed in fear when the alpha leans closer to smell him. The stranger is huge—very tall and built broadly, and Arthur suddenly realizes he’s not a stranger. Arthur actually met him once a few weeks ago. He’s a leftover from a group that Arthur’s tribe successfully vanquished, and Cobb decided to take this one—Yuri, Arthur thinks his name is—because he would be good assisting with labor.

Yuri  _knows_ he’s mated, claimed by one of the highest-ranking alphas, so what is he thinking?

"Move," Arthur finally says, scowling in what he hopes is an ugly way.

It doesn’t work. The alpha seems amused as he leans forward and brushes Arthur’s jawline with his nose, breathing deeply. The intimate gesture makes Arthur’s skin crawl, and he shrinks back, but there’s no where for him to go because he’s standing at the edge of the creek, and he’s too afraid to shove away the man because Yuri could easily break his neck if he angers him. Unfortunately, Yuri seems to interpret his silence as permission because he reaches down and presses his hands to Arthur’s thighs, lifting the hem of his pelt—and, no, he won’t allow this. Even if it means dying. Arthur shoves him hard, but Yuri barely moves, and the alpha chuckles. “Stop,” Arthur shouts—louder this time.

In his periphery, he sees Thales and Adras race back up the incline, back towards their precipice, and thankfully Yuri doesn’t appear to see them. He would rather let this cretin touch him than risk his children being hurt. The alpha grips his pelt more insistently, pushing it up so he can cup Arthur’s rear as he steps forward and presses his thick thigh between the omega’s legs, grinding against him in a lewd way. “Mine,” he grunts, attempting to dip his fingers into Arthur’s crevice.

It’s then that Arthur understands. This is more than Yuri being an over-sexed alpha. He wants to claim Arthur to overthrow Eames and take his place in the tribe. If he takes Eames’s mate, then he can demonstrate he’s superior to the other alpha, and maybe even challenge him to a fight to the death. If he defeats Eames, then he inherits all his power.

Arthur arches his back and slaps him hard across the face, which seems to first surprise then infuriate the alpha because he grabs Arthur by the hair and throws him to the ground. The force of the movement knocks the wind from his lungs, and before he can scramble to his feet, Yuri falls atop him, no longer bothering with the wooing aspect of his approach. He tears off Arthur’s pelt and yanks him by the hair until he’s on his stomach. Arthur screams, biting the alpha’s fingers when he tries to cover his mouth.

It’s then that Eames comes charging down the hillside, Atak close at his heels, though the alpha actually manages to outrun the beast. Arthur covers his face, bracing for the impact that comes with the force of a hundred stampeding bison. He actually hears Yuri’s bones break when Eames slams into him with a roar, knocking the other alpha clear off Arthur, who scrambles to his feet and re-secures the pelt around his waist. He tells himself not to look, but everything happens so quickly that he doesn’t really have time to look away. Eames gets on top of Yuri and starts hitting him—the first strike breaking the man’s nose and coaxing a wild, pained howl from the alpha. The explosion of blood is so horrific that even Atak doesn’t join in on the frenzy. His ears tilt back on his head and he whimpers fearfully, tail tucked between legs as he watches Eames unleash his fury.

When Eames picks up a rock from the creek, Arthur turns away, covering his ears after he hears Yuri’s skull cave in from the force of the blow. And Eames keeps going, beating the man until there is only a bloody mess where his skull used to be. 

Then there’s silence, undercut by the pleasant babbling of the creek, and Arthur keeps his back to Eames, trembling as he waits. When Eames finishes…whatever he was doing, he gently touches Arthur’s shoulder, and the omega spins, grabbing Eames in a fierce embrace. That’s when he permits himself to cry, sobbing against Eames’s shoulder as the alpha holds him tightly. “Eames protect Arthur,” he whispers, still breathless from the assault. 

Eames smells like blood, and it should disgust him, but Arthur feels nothing but love and gratitude. Yuri tried to hurt him and destroy his family, and Arthur is glad he’s dead. And no one will fault Eames for his independently-delegated justice. Cobb would never begrudge a tribe member the right to protect their mate. He nuzzles his mate, kissing him and whispering soft words of affection to him until Eames is no longer panting for breath.

They leave the body by the creek for the time being, and return to their precipice where the children are gathered nervously in the area between the huts. As soon as Thales and Adras see him, they burst out crying and run forward, hugging and pulling at him until Eames tells them to give Arthur a little space. But he doesn’t want a little space. Instead, he kneels and hugs them both firmly. 

"Thales and Adras ran fast and told father and he brought Atak," Thales says rapidly until Arthur reminds him he’s talking too fast, and then their eldest slows down and explains himself again, clearer this time.

Arthur smiles at him, his face wet with tears. “Thales and Adras brave,” he whispers, kissing them both on their foreheads.

The boys seem calmer now, maybe even slightly proud of themselves. “Yuri?” Thales asks Eames.

Eames simply shakes his head. “Gone,” he replies, and only their eldest seems to really register what that means. He has a distant look on his face for a moment and then he nods, once, seemingly satisfied with that.

The other younger children don’t really understand what happened—Thales told them only about an alpha and an attack, but they seem terrified, and now relieved, that Arthur is back and everything is as it was. He makes sure to sit with them outside for a long time, letting them take turns hugging him and kissing his face, and then he holds Theo, the baby feeding from his breast, and that is enough of a soothing, normal routine to coax his heart back to a normal rhythm.

Demitri, in particular, seems shaken up by the afternoon’s events, and he sits quietly beside Arthur the whole time, Arthur occasionally reaching over to stroke his hair and kiss the top of his head.

He thinks today is when Eames is supposed to hunt with the other alphas, but he doesn’t go fetch his spear at the usual time. Instead, he spends the day outside with them, playing with the older cubs, Atak yapping excitedly and running at their heels. He then builds a large fire in the evening. It’s nice, and Arthur is grateful for the intimate family time following a traumatic event that nearly robbed them of this.

He’s reminded again that they are lucky—that this kind of love and peace is fragile, and fiercely defended by them both.

Towards the end of the night, when the cubs are sleepy and the older ones disappear into their tents, they tuck the babies into their pelts and Eames half-sprawls atop him on their side of the hut. They kiss lazily for a long time, Eames reverently touching his face and throat in a way that eventually makes tears slide down Arthur’s face. He is again awestruck that this is the same man who beat Yuri to death with a rock mere hours earlier.

He doesn’t know how he can ever thank Eames, and knows he doesn’t really need to, but when he places the alpha’s hand over his heart, he thinks Eames understands. There is deep fondness in his gaze when he looks down at him, and Arthur kisses him sweetly on his lips before whispering: “Arthur yours.”

Eames smiles against his mouth: “Arthur mine,” he agrees.

Before wriggling from his pelt, Arthur thinks that’s the way those words are supposed to sound.


	8. Thales' hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt for a New Years' Lascaux drabble

There is a great festival that happens when the snow returns to the mountaintop and the warm rays of the sun leave. _A new beginning_ , Mal calls it, which Arthur thinks is strange because he has to bundle in layers of pelt and all the plants wilt and die. It doesn’t feel like a beginning to him. It feels like the end every time it happens, but Mal says death is a necessary part of life, like how the tribe hunts and kills in order to eat and live.

Which is how Eames introduces the idea of Thales going on his first hunt.

Arthur is in a good mood because of the big fire outside, and the presence of all their clan, and Eames knows he’s in a bubbly, happy mood, which is why he corners him inside their hut and blurts his plans.

Arthur stares daggers at him. “No,” he grunts, trying to walk past him to the flaps, but Eames blocks his way, so Arthur shoves him and repeats: “No.”

Thales is their first-born. He doesn’t even have hair on his chest or between his legs yet. Arthur will not put him in danger.

“Yes,” Eames counters, which is the beginning of all their fights. “Thales is man.”

Arthur very nearly snorts. A few days ago, Thales fell and scraped his knee, and cried until Arthur came and picked him up and kissed the wound. He is no man.

“Move,” is his icy answer, and Eames does eventually, though there is a soft, amused look in his eyes.

He storms outside and heads straight to the fire. He wants to enjoy the festival because Arthur’s pregnancy cycles are timed so this is one of the few moments where he has not yet conceived again. He’s lithe, spry, and wants to eat and dance with Eames. Except, now he’s angry with his mate, so instead he finds their cubs and sits with them and Atak by the fire.

Theo is old enough to sit beside him on a log, though their youngest is unaccustomed to staying up so late and spends the evening blearily gazing around in a daze. Arthur fondly watches him and occasionally runs his fingers through the babe’s dark hair, causing it to stick up in funny directions that make the children giggle.

The elder alphas tell stories during the festivities, and eventually Eames joins them, and Arthur allows it because he’s not feeling petty enough to deprive the children of their father’s presence. After stories comes the play-fighting, when the younger alphas spar with the more experienced fighters. Not seriously, of course. It’s more practice than anything else. Arthur temporarily forgets how to breathe when Eames calls Thales to join him before the fire and everyone watches the father and son cycle through some fight moves.

Instantly, Arthur is overcome by how their first-born moves. He is graceful and strong, nothing like the gangly child he is accustomed to seeing race after Eames like his shadow. More than once, Eames glances at him, as if to say: _See?_  Arthur resentfully refuses to give him the satisfaction of confirmation. Play-fighting is not the same as hunting and killing a bison. 

Grown alphas die on hunts all the time. Arthur is not going to send his son into the path of danger.

After the festivities, they walk back up the mountain to their huts and Arthur and Eames begin the long process of putting down their eight cubs for the night. The older children need little cajoling, but the babies take ages to put down, especially the three littlest children who still sleep in their hut, and by the end of it, Arthur is exhausted and collapses against the pelts with a heavy sigh. He watches Atak sniff the area beside the babies before protectively curling up beside them, a barrier between their treasures and all the dangers of the world.

Eames is a hot, musky force at his back and Arthur is still moody and ignoring him, until the alpha begins to nuzzle and kiss the side of his neck, a well known weakness of Arthur’s, who arches his neck and sighs. It turns out to be a diversion tactic when the alpha whispers against the shell of his ear a moment later: “Thales hunt with Eames.”

Arthur rolls over and strikes him in the chest. He’s close enough to his mate to see the surprised look on his face. “No,” Arthur growls. Thales has only seen twelve winters. He’s too young.

Eames grabs his wrists and rolls atop him, pinning Arthur’s arms above his head. “Yes,” he insists, glancing to the side, and Arthur instinctively knows Eames is making sure they haven’t woken the babies. He does the same thing whenever they rut. The memory makes him feel hot and Arthur squirms a bit beneath him. 

He knows, as an omega, there’s little he can do to actually stop Eames from taking their son to hunt. Eames has decided, and therefore it will probably happen. Indeed, it’s probably long overdue. Some of the other alphas take their first-borns hunting as young as ten. But Arthur is wild when he thinks of their children. He wants to protect them forever.

“No,” he repeats, just for the sake of arguing—just for the flash of amusement and frustration in Eames’ eyes. Just for the way the alpha’s calloused hand reaches between his legs and expertly strokes.

“Yes,” Eames purrs, leaning down to suck the side of his neck.

Arthur grabs fistfuls of his hair, pulling and yanking, and Eames is rough in return, fingertips bruising Arthur’s thighs as he yanks them up, Arthur’s legs wrapping around his waist, his teeth sinking into the meat of Eames’s shoulder when he thrusts inside him.

“Ah…” Arthur exhales, glancing towards the babes. They’re asleep. Not even Atak has picked up his head.

He’s wet and trembling by the time Eames thrusts again, his teeth colliding with Arthur’s lip when they kiss and he whimpers into the alpha’s mouth.

It’s rough and brief and perfect. Afterwards, Arthur imagines Eames has planted another baby inside him and lays beside his mate, rubbing his stomach in small, comforting circles. Eames lays on his side, breathing heavily, and watches him. Maybe he’s thinking the same thing—imagining a tiny baby curled inside Arthur’s stomach.

“Thales strong,” he says suddenly and Arthur is quiet this time, not agreeing, but simply thinking.

* * *

In the end, Eames simply leaves with their first-born on the hunt without final confirmation from Arthur. In a way, he’s glad for it because he never has to watch Thales, so much smaller than the other hunters, tiny beside his long spear, depart from the village.

They’re gone for a long time, and Arthur is sick with worry, so he sits with Ariadne and Mal as they do the washing, and they’re kind enough to never point out Arthur isn’t helping. Rather, he sits and stares into the distance the whole time.

Finally, at dusk, the alphas return. Arthur races from the hut, climbs to the precipice where the communal fires are built, and watches the alphas return one-by-one. It feels like forever and he stops breathing the moment Eames appears with Thales at his side. He runs to them and grips the boy’s face, checking for bruises or marks, but Thales is smiling broadly. “Thales speared a buck!” he cries and Arthur looks at Eames with huge eyes.

“True,” Dom chuckles, emerging behind them, carrying a spear.

When Arthur looks behind him, he sees two of the larger alphas carrying the beast, strung up between poles, hung from a thick rope. It’s huge. The antlers touch the dirt, dragging trails in their wake. Arthur’s lips part but he can’t speak. He’s too amazed. 

“Thales fine hunter,” Dom remarks, gently patting Arthur’s shoulder.

Eames’ gaze is filled with tenderness and not a little smugness. “Eames told Arthur,” he chuckles. “Thales good hunter like Eames.”

Arthur’s brows arch. “Thales better Eames.” He can’t remember the last time Eames speared a buck.

He thinks maybe his mate would have swatted his rear if they weren’t in public, and the fiery look he offers makes him feel warm all over, but suddenly Thales’ voice rings in his ears: “Thales will skin the buck!”

And Dom laughs. “Yes, yes. It is your right.”

When he looks over, his eldest—who is now a man—races after Dom towards the pit where Ariadne and Mal have started the fire. “Thales will skin the buck!” he cries, smiling Eames’ smile at them and Arthur watches him, smiling in return, but suddenly afraid he might cry.

Thales is so big already. One day, he will leave to wander into the wilderness to try and find an omega, as Eames found him one day when he was playing in a creak. Or perhaps he will mate one of the village omegas. Arthur considers the myriad of possibilities, overwhelmed because this is the first time he has accepted that Thales is a man.

Eames leans down to kiss his bare shoulder. “Arthur raised Thales strong.” 

His chest swells at the praise. 

“Arthur and Eames,” he corrects, which has become something of their mantra. An equal partnership. Equal praise. “Tell Arthur about hunt,” he asks, because he understands more of the village language these days and can usually keep up with Eames’ stories.

Eames’ face lights up, their fingers lacing as he tugs Arthur to the fire and regales him with the details of a boy who proved stronger than a majestic king of the forest.  

**Author's Note:**

> follow! http://theaoidos.tumblr.com/


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